


Wings of Freedom

by SykoJuice



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Titan Shifter Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-04-24 19:25:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14362023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SykoJuice/pseuds/SykoJuice
Summary: Canon Divergence in which Marco was not killed.After discovering the plans of a certain trio, they try to maintain a low profile of their knowledge to not lit any red alarm to them. Will they be able to exterminate them before it's too late for humanity?Most things are Canon. Some are not.





	1. Traitors

_Fast. Faster. Fly._

Marco was flying between buildings in hopes of surviving and being able to warn the others.

_They are the **traitors**._

He looked back to see the three betrayers flying behind him trying to catch him before he spilled their secret. They were getting nearer at an alarming speed. No doubt they made it to the top ten during their training. He was  _not_ giving up. He erased all distracting thoughts out of his mind and focused on running away. He would not let himself be caught, not now, not ever. _For Humanity'ssake._

* * *

 

_** Some minutes before ** _

_Marco was tired. That was actually an understatement. Since the Titans started invading once again, it's all been about slaughtering without a second to breathe, of course, if you wanted to keep your life. Marco was just flying around looking for his assigned squad. He searched until he found Reiner and Bertolt standing over a building watching the chaos the Titans had made out of this place. He decided to get close but heard them talking, he tried not to be rude and eavesdrop but whatever they were talking about, did not sound good._

_"Plugging the hole that way?" Reiner scoffed "That's a stupid plan. Eren might as well get eaten out there"_

_"If that happens they might stay ignorant forever"_ Ignorant of what? _Marco felt his sweat become colder by every word the pair was dropping. Something was off. There's something about this mood that's very wrong._

 _"Yeah... If it comes down to it, I'll have to take control of it with my Titan"_ A Titan? Just what's going on? _Marco asked himself while he continued listening to the boys' conversation._

 _"If their plan works, they'll cover the hole we worked so hard on to make"_ _Marco then choked on his own saliva._ What's this?

_"Who cares? We finally found the key we've spent the last five years looking for"_ _Marco decided his presence to be known. This must be a joke, right?_

_"Hey, you two..." He started, nervously approaching the pair "What are you even talking about?" He asked trying to remain calm, fully knowing he looked anything but calm. His heart was beating so hard inside this chest "What did you mean by 'My titan' Reiner?" As the words escaped from his mouth he was already thinking of a way to run away if things took the wrong turn. He already made a fool out of himself for showing his presence to the pair of possible traitors. That was strike one. "What hole did you work so hard on making, Bertolt?" He looked as both cadets turned their heads back to look at Marco, their faces as pale as ever. No one said anything._

_"Marco..." Reiner muttered his name, making Marco feel chills escalating through his spine "That... We were just kidding...?" He finished this sentence with a hint of doubt. The only thing that made Marco sure of his conclusion._

They are Titan-shifters.

The broke Wall Maria.

They are Traitors.

_"Are you nuts?!" Marco yelled, surprising both teens "I can understand how this situation would make us say stuff we wouldn't really say, but focus on the mission, even one dead Titan will help us clear them out" He looked around looked at a Titan that was coming closer, he decided for a distraction. "Look, a titan, let's get it" And he took off. He quickly flew away, dismissing the titan he signaled. An obvious distraction for an obvious escape plan. That's strike two.  
_

_Marco continued flying around the city and he deduced that if those two were titans, who were also bound to be one?_

_Annie._

_The three said they came from the same district, which would make total sense if Annie were to be a traitor too. He needed to tell the others quick._

* * *

 

"Commander Pyxis!" He shouted furiously while he climbed safely to the top of the wall. Pyxis and all his companions turned to the young boy, watching as he was trying to catch his breath. Before saying anything else, he turned back to look down and watch the three traitors flying around, probably still trying to find him.

"Cadet? Is som-" He was interrupted by one of his companions, Riko, who started scolding the boy, her stare penetrating and scary.

"What in the name of Lord are you doing here, Cadet?!" She shouted, fury incinerating up in her eyes "You should be helping your comrades exterminating the Titans" She yelled, she still had a thing to say, but much to her dismay, one of the soldiers stopped her before she could continue.

Ewin Smith.

"Riko, let the boy talk" He glanced at Marco "I'm sure he would've not ditched his duties as a soldier if it wasn't something important, right Cadet?" Marco gulped and saluted to the commander.

"Yes, sir"

"So, what's going on?" Pyxis asked, straight to the point, and Marco spilled all the information he received.

"Sir., I have reasons to believe three traitors are between us, Cadets of the 104 trainee squad" As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone around looked at him. Marco looked down to the village, making sure Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie hasn't found him yet. They were nowhere near to be seen. He sighed in relaxation, looked back at the rest of the soldiers standing before him, straightened his back and continued; "I was passing by, looking for my assigned squad when I stumbled into a conversation between Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, both cadets from de 104 trainee squad" Every word he said sounded so surreal, he still found it hard to believe.

"What was the conversation about?" Asked Riko sternly after a while. Marco shook his head and proceeded.

"They were talking about how reckless was the plan to plug the hole was and started talking about Titans in a way it insinuated they were ones, and how they worked so hard of making that hole. If I ain't wrong they're most probably The Colossal and The Armoured titans." He finished and it was needless to say that everyone's color had left their faces.

"Who's the third one?" Erwin asked while he played with his fingers, he seemed as if he was thinking.

"I believe that would be Annie Leonhart, Sir." He replied "Since they three claimed they came together it'd be easy to put two and two together"

The atmosphere up in the wall was tense. The information just provided was not a joke. Erwin scanned Marco up and down and figured he did not seem as the kind to joke about this stuff. After Eren's revelation, it wouldn't be impossible to believe the boy. If there was already someone who was a titan, why wouldn't they three also be? The thing was if they've lived here so long, why not use their titan form to help humanity? Just like the other titan-shifter? How big were the odds that they weren't from here...

"I believe they are from outside the walls" That earned gasps from the other soldiers and a smirk on Erwin's face. This kid knew what he was talking about.

"I was thinking about that possibility too" He looked down to the scene before him. A yellow flare was shot into the sky "Succesful" Erwin muttered and looked at the boy "Where are the traitors?" He asked Marco and the boy gulped.

"They discovered me eavesdropping so I had to lose them before they could catch me and get rid of me, Sir, so I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have no idea where they might be at the moment" If Erwin's reasoning did not fail, they would be looking for Marco to make sure he got his mouth shut. He frowned and looked at the boy.

"We have to kill you" Erwin said and Marco's eyes widened and his legs started trembling.

"Commander, are you out of your mind?!" Riko shouted.

"No." He said coldly and looked at Marco "Give me your 3D maneuvering gear" Marco was scared, but he did as he was told. Erwin took grip pg the equipment and got ready to fly away, not before giving a brief explanation "They are looking for this cadet to kill him, and keep his mouth shut" Erwin looked down to the village as they were clearing put the titans that were left. "That means, they are bound to attack us if they discover we know about their betrayal. We need to kill him to make them believe we remain ignorant of their secret." Cold sweat ran down Marco's face, but he was determined that if that was the way things had to be, of course, he'd give his life for humanity. He was about to jump off the wall when Erwin stopped him. "We're not really going to kill you" The kid looked perplexed "I'm going to put your gear on one of the dead soldiers, preferably, one without a face, to make it seem as if you died. During the corpse clean up they must be able to recognize your gear since it's slightly different to the ones we have" Marco was surprised by how observant commander Erwin was. He was by no surprise one of the highest-ranking soldiers. "I'll make sure they won't be able to identify the real person, we'll take you safely in a district of Wall Sina, where you'll be able to help us in the military with things as strategic plans and such. We won't jeopardize your life, you'll be safe" And before flying away, he directed some last words before some soldiers started escorting Marco inside Wall Sina "Good job kid"

And he flew away.

_This is just the **beginning**._

 


	2. Disbanding Ceremony

_Screams, blood, sweat._

_"Mom?" Eren's voice was tiny, barely audible from the sound of ruckus made by the Titans. Why did it have to be his mother? Why couldn't it be him? Why was he weak? All kinds of questions floated through his mind, a pang of guilt making his heart sink. No. It was not his fault, it was the Titans. They are the ones who have stolen so much from humanity. Their freedom, their peace, their lives. He would be damned if he did not do something about it. Just as his hatred started clouded his mind, it was easily dissipated when he heard that heart-breaking shriek. He started at the titan who was holding his mother in its disgusting hands. Eren felt his heart beat fastly a warm feeling enveloping his chest, even when it seemed a lost cause, his mother was still kicking and fighting for her life. Warmness was quickly replaced by a cold chill once the titan without much effort broke his mother's spine, silencing her screams, as it chewed on her mercilessly. Tear prickled at the edge of his eyes. Was this a nightmare? No. It was way worse._

_It was a memory._

_It was very much real._

* * *

 

 Eren shot up straight from bed, his forehead leaking with cold sweat, salty and hot tears streaming down his cheeks. A grim reminder of how useless and weak he was.  
  
_"You weren't able to save your mother because you weren't strong enough"_

Hannes words never ceased to haunt Eren. He was not strong enough back then, but after three years of hard work and training, he'll finally be able to slaughter every single titan. He'll finally get the revenge he's been so caught up in getting.

Knowing he would be unable to go back to sleep he decided to train before the disbanding ceremony. He stripped from his sleeping clothing and dressed in his cadet uniform while quietly scramming out of the boys' dorm, deciding on sparring by himself, being quite surprised as for him not being the only one unable to sleep. Cadet [Name] [Surname] was swiftly sparring by herself as if she was really fighting off somebody. She was rather an intriguing comrade, since she did not say a lot, or to be more specific, she hasn't said anything since she enrolled. Despite her obvious antisocial manners, she was an outstanding cadet, her hand-to-hand fighting skills almost as impeccable as her 3D-Gear skills. She lacked the same intellect as Armin, but she was by nowhere an airhead. After staring for a while he decided on walking to her and saluted her with a warm smile, a little nod as a reply to let Eren know his presence was acknowledged.

"Can't sleep?" The only answer he got was an intimidating glare on her part before continuing sparring by herself. Eren scratched his nape awkwardly while rubbing his feet together. "Huh, hey, [Name]" He called, getting her to stop her movements to look intently at him. "Would you mind sparring together? It'd be fine if you do not want to" Narrowed eyes piercing Eren's, after a long while, that felt like hours, she grunted and adopted a defense position. Excitedly, Eren went for an attack on her, ending in him landing on his ass.

Needless to say, Eren got his ass kicked that morning.

After some hours of training, without uttering a word, [Name] left, leaving Eren lying alone on the floor. The boy supposed she went over for a shower and decided he must take one too before the day officially started. 

* * *

"At the head of the class; Mikasa Ackerman  
Second; Reiner Braun  
Number three; Bertolt Hoover  
Number four; Annie Leonhart  
Number five; Eren Jäger  
Number six; Jean Kirschtein  
Number seven; Marco Bott  
Number eight; Connie Springer  
Number nine; Sasha Blouse  
And number ten; Krista Lenz  
You are the top ten" An air of pride hit Eren, yet, his focus quickly was replaced from his pride for his sense of vengeance.

  _I finally made it;_ he thought  _Next time is gonna be our turn, next time, the humans will devour the Titans._

"Now that your training has been completed, you're to make your first and most important choice. You'll choose the military branch you feel you belong to. The Garrison; Which reinforces the walls, thereby protecting all of the towns. The Survey Corps; Prepared to sacrifice their lives outside the walls by defying titans in their own domain, and last, The Military Police Brigade; Which exercises control over the king's subjects and maintains order"  Once he finished mentioning the branches, he continued "Of course, out of you raw recruits, the only ones that can join the Military Police Brigade are the ten highest scores. Soon, I'll be asking you which branch you want to be assigned to, but for as right now the 104th training corps is officially disbanded. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" All cadets started dispersing to the dorms to change their clothing and then moving to the dining hall. Eren sat right to Mikasa and across from Armin once they made it to the dining hall. Chattering could be heard all around the hall. But what called Eren's attention was Jean's rant about going into the Military Police Brigade, something Eren could never understand. If you had the abilities to survive a titan attack, why not use your abilities for humanity's sake instead of cowardly hiding behind the security of Wall Sina. Fed up of Jean's rant, Eren spoke up.

"Hey..." Silence "You said the interior is comfortable? Until five years ago this town was part of the interior too" He said, venom slipping through every word "Jean, you do not have to go to the interior, I mean, isn't the interior of your head soft enough?" Reiner snorted, spitting his soup on Armin, he muttered a soft sorry, but Eren was not in the state to defend his friend. He felt a tug on his sleeve, not bothering to turn since he already knew who was it.

"Eren..." Mikasa said softly "Don't" she pleaded but the green-eyed boy ignored her in favor of continuing his argument with Jean.

The bickering continued for a while before it started to be a fist fight, Eren, and Jean on each other's throat 

"Come on Eren, what's wrong?" Jean shouted while avoiding Eren's attacks "If you can't deal with me, a mere human, you are not fit to fight against the Titans" The words that slipped his mouth gained him a kick on the abdomen. Eren's eyes glared fiercely.

"Of course not idiot"

They continued the fight while others kept trying to make them stop. Mikasa was about to get in-between the fight when a strong grip took hold of both guys' necks. Both stared breathlessly to the fierce eyes of [Name] as she growled to both of them. She threw them to the side as if they were lightweight, Mikasa running quickly to Eren's side, while Marco took care of Jean.

"[Name]..." Mikasa said sternly, in a defiantly look. Even so, the [h/c] haired cadet did not flinch. She brushed herself off and was about to leave when Eren shouted after her.

"What the hell, [Name]?!" He said a surprised look on his face as he glared daggers at the girl. His hands circling around the bruised area of his neck. "Don't you think I'm right? He's just being a coward, hiding behind the king--"

"Oi," Jean growled "At least I'm not suicidal enough to enter the Survey Corps and throw my life away" Eren was quick on retort and both boys were once again on each other's throats. Before anything could escalate to a physical fight once again, much to everyone¡s surprise, a rather hoarse and cranky voice spoke up.

"Stop" [Name] growled, her deep voice shutting the whole hall to silence, being the first time they all heard her speak in all the three training years they had with her. The authority coming out of her voice coming out as a surprise for everyone, never expecting it from a loner "Kirschstein, accept the undeniable fact that you are a gutless coward" She said while she glared at the ash-haired boy "If I sould go by anything you'd be saying the only reason you want to join is because you're a little scared shit who hides behind the facade of this strong ass comrade willing to protect the King when we all know if the titans were to invade wall Sina you'd be the first to run with your tail between your legs," The boy looked wide eyed as the girl stood right in front of him, he still laying flat down on the floor "coward." She spat cruelly, throwing daggers with her words, turning to Eren while frowning and pointing his finger accusingly to the green-eyed boy who has already stood from his place on the floor. "And you, Jäger" She spat, the boy flinching by the sound of [Name]'s voice "Stop being so reckless. You're just scared shitless like every single one of us, the only difference is that you hide your fear behind your thirst for vengeance. You do not think, you just act according to your instincts, all you look for is titan's blood, that's all you want. What you don't know is that exactly that makes you weak, being angry all the time will just get you killed, and maybe, that's exactly what you want, getting killed, maybe you really are suicidal after all. Sobbing about your mother's death as if it was that important, breaking news you idiot, everybody has lost somebody, your mother's death is insignificant for me, as it is for everybody else that did not know her. She was not the only one who lost her life that day. If you really want to do something for her, get your head out of your ass and acknowledge that the probability of you dying thanks to your reckless and suicidal behavior is high and you'll most probably achieve nothing. One thing is training camp, other things are real titans, it's hell on earth, I know you know that Shinganshina boy" She turned on her heels and started walking out.

"At least I'm not a coward like you and Jean and many others" He spat, trying to get on her nerves, his words, much to his dismay, sliding off [Name] as if they never were uttered. She walked back to Eren, grabbing his collar and slamming him against the wooden wall, totally ignoring Mikasa's protests to let him go.

"Listen up you little shit," She said while clenching her teeth "I don't care if you call me a coward, cause I am, I am scared, I fear for my life, but that's because I'm human and I'm trying to survive and cope in this shithole. Not everyone is able to have blind and suicidal courage like you claim to have, though I know you're just as scared as me. Or are you just not human? Anyways, you'll just end up swallowed down by a titan, like very much everybody else" Her eyes were cold and Eren felt shivers down his spine. She said nothing more letting the boy fall to the floor while massaging her temples. She stared at both boys "You both disgust me" This time, she went away not turning back, leaving everybody at the hall jaw dropped.

Eren and Jean started at each other, none of them actually believe what just happened. Mikasa wasted no time on dragging Eren out of the dining hall. 

"That was... surprising to say the least," Eren said, trying to lighten the mood, he scoffed "Who does she think she is? Saying I am re--"

"She's right" Eren gaped at Mikasa as if she had grown a second head "As much as I hate to say it, she's right, you act impulsively when you're angry, and maybe that helps you in the training camp but out there is not the same, Eren" The boy stared at her, silence settling between the two before he plopped down to the floor, Mikasa sitting next to him.

"What branch are you joining?" He asked, Mikasa's, Jean's and [Name]'s words still echoing in his head. He shook the thoughts for later.

"Survey Corps" 

"What?" Eren glanced at her "You were the highest in our group, you could easily enter de Military Police, they definitely would give you preferences"

"No" She flat out said "If you join the Survey Corps, I'll do too, if you join the Garrison, I'll do too, if you join the Military Police, I'll do too" the boy tilted his head to the side "If I weren't there, you'll die an early death"

"I do not need you to stick around. How long do you intend to continue this?"

"As long as I live," She said while accommodating her scarf, hiding the lower half of her face in the soft fabric "I was dead and brought to life once again. I'm not forgetting that debt" Eren sighed "Any more than anything... I don't want to lose more family" Eren fidgeted with his hands knowing well-known Mikasa's had it hard, losing both families must be painful. Silence settled in until it went interrupted by their blond friend.

"Hey, we should head back to the dorm, the party's already over" 

"Hey, Armin" Eren saluted his friend while the blond sat next to Mikasa "What branch are you joining"

He watched his friend shift uncomfortably on his place while he scratched the back of his head.

"The Survey Corps" Green eyes flared open and before he could reply Armin continued "I know I'm weak and I'd be better off as a technician thanks to my brains, but then it would not matter if I came to die"

The trio glanced at the noise of some soldiers chatting, spotting Hannes amongst them. They saluted and continued their way to chat with the only father figure they have left.

* * *

"Who does she even think she is?" Jean fumed as Marco was trying to calm him down "She's never even said a word in all the three years, and the moment she opens her mouth, she slips nonsense and calls me disgusting" He scoffed and frowned remembering the incident at the dining hall.

_"Kirschstein, accept the undeniable fact that you are a gutless coward"_

Her words were still fresh on his mind, her iron grip still tingling in his neck. He ran his finger through the purplish bruise. He could not help be offended. He was not gonna lie, her harsh words hit home somehow. Everybody is scared to die because nobody wants to die, not really not at all. Knowing what happened at Shinganshina, being the ones who lived the nightmare first-hand, he was glad he was not in the cross-fire. But Eren, he watched his hometown in chaos, he saw his mother die, yet, he's still willing to join the Survey Corps when he could be safe behind Sina's walls. That never ceased to annoy Jean. He did not know if he was courageous or just stupid. 

"She just said it because she was mad you would not stop bickering," Marco said, trying to calm down Jean, but the boy just couldn't shake her voice out of his head. Her hoarse voice as if it hasn't been used for years, which might not be too far from the truth.

_"Kirschstein, accept the undeniable fact that you are a gutless coward"_

He shook his head trying to stop the sentence to repeat over and over again in his head. He held his head between his hands, exasperation evident in his features as Marco just stared at him worriedly.

"You know, Jean" The ash haired boy did not make any sign of listening but Marco knew he was, he always was "It's okay to be scared, and to look out for oneself. You're human Jean and those monsters who have taken a lot from us, it's normal to be scared, I, myself am scared, just like [Name] said, everyone is scared, but in the end, it's decision of oneself what to do about it, she shouldn't have said that stuff to either you or Eren. It was rather harsh."

"But she's right" Jean snapped, making Marco jump in his seat "I am a coward, she's right, I've never really thought of protecting the King, if not myself. I am a coward, and the fact that she so easily read me annoyed me" The boy sighed and Marco smiled sweetly at him.

"You are not a coward Jean" The freckled boy patted his back "We are both going to the Military Police, and once there, we'll show people we are in fact no cowards and that if the occasion ever presents itself, we'll fight until our last breath" Jean looked at his friend, and thanked whoever was watching over him for giving him such an amazing friend.

Later that night, Armin and other cadets entered the dorms, Eren unconscious.

Jean sighed hard and laid in his bunk, closing his eyes.

_Tomorrow will finally be it._

* * *

 

_The Officer's provision office was ready to transport meat to the interior, totally unaware of the hungry eyes staring at the room filled with food._

_Sasha lifted her hoodie, hiding her face in the shadows of her cloak, trying to pass by without anyone noticing her at all. Thanks to whoever was up there taking care of here, there was no one around that could mean a threat to Sasha's plan. She looked around before slipping into the room. Once inside she turned up the lights, drool spilling down her jaw as she saw the various amounts of food that cadets did not get to eat._

_Since the Colossal Titan's attack, meat has been difficult to find, since most of the agriculture and livestock were produced in Wall Maria, but with the Titan's invasion, people had to move into Wall Rose, meaning that there were less food and more people. Since then, meat has been a privilege only few could afford, and the cadets have barely eaten._

_Still, in her dumbfounded trance, she stared at the food until she listened to footsteps echoing through the hall. In the panic, she decided to hide behind a stack of boxes. Military Police Officers entered the room and started carrying some of the boxes outside for their transportation. Sasha, unwilling to risk running around like the first time she stole a potato, was about to flee when a welcoming smell entered through her nose. Following the smell, she opened the box which it was coming from, surprisingly pleased by the sight of raw meat. The girl licked her lips as she grabbed one of the pieces, smelling it intently before her thoughts were interrupted by someone entering the room again. She took hold of the piece of meat and hid her face in the shadows of the cloak before fleeing past the officer._

_"Hey!" The officer shouted while Sasha rushed down the hall, giggling "Thief!" Some of the few people that were in the hall and listened to the man tried to stop her tracks but she just ran like she's never done before._

_'Meat is mine'_

* * *

 Sasha hid the piece of meat inside her jacket, ready to brag about it with her comrades. She already knew Connie was at the wall helping in the cleaning of cannons, along with Eren. She skipped casually until reaching her friends, a mischevious grin and a slight blush sporting on her face.

"Excuse me, everyone," The girl started, interrupting a conversation between Thomas, one of her fellow comrades and Eren. Connie being earshot turned to look at her friend "I was able to steal meat from the officers' provision" The looks of her friends was priceless.

"Sasha!" One of the cadets said, "Are you trying to get yourself hauled in an isolation cell?" He said, a look of worry plastered on his features.

Connie sighed and looked at her friend "You're really stupid, you know that?"

"So dumb is scary"

Sasha could not care less about her comrades' comments. She had meat and that was worth the world. She glanced at her friends, the ones that had been with her for all three years of training, and had taken her side in many countless situations. The brown haired girl couldn't help the warmness that spread through her chest, her heart beating fast.  _This is family._

"We can slice it up later and share it," She said, her mouth already watering at the thought of steaming meat "eat it with some bread" she giggled while her friends shared looks.

"Go put it back, Sasha," Said Connie.

"He's right!" Continued Mina "With all the land we've lost, meat has become pretty valuable," She said. Sasha couldn't help the smile tugging at the end of her lips. Her friends always worried about her. Seh could never ask for any better friends.

"We'll be alright," She said while crouching and hiding the meat inside the boxes of provision for the ex-trainees "We'll be able to have plenty more cows and sheep when we reconquer the land we lost" Confidence overpowered her words. Eren looked confused, and even if he looked as if he wanted to speak, Thomas won the first word.

"That sounds reasonable" A smirk tugging in his face "An anticipated victory for the take-back of Wall Maria, eh? After we eat it all that's left is to steel ourselves for what's coming next" The rest of the ex-trainees looked rather awkward, Sasha noticed, maybe wondering if they would ever be able to get back everything that they've lost. Sasha shook her head. No negative thoughts, that would not help the cause. Instead, she looked at Samuel hesitating before speaking:

"I'll have some of that meat too!"He shouted rather excited.

"Me too" Mina stuttered 

"What you doing Eren? Keep working unless you want us to get busted" Sasha drowned the conversation while she began walking near the edge of the wall, looking to what used to be part of the interior. She watched as the Titans stumbled around the area. From up here, they looked so little, so defenseless.  _Is that how they see us?_ Sasha wondered, shaking her head and erasing the thought in a second. That was rather stupid, Titan's were not intelligent creatures, they were just cruel merciless beasts that thought of killing as a fun activity.  _So much like humans._

She sighed, ready to continue the work when a lighting got her attention hot air filled the atmosphere. Sasha's heartbeat raced as she turned around, standing right next to the face that has haunted Wall Maria already, the face of terror.

"No..." The girl whispered, "Not again..."

* * *

 _It burns_ Eren thought as the hot air burned his skin. 

He was here once again.

The devil without skin.

_"You couldn't save your mom because you weren't strong enough"_

Not anymore.

"Switch to 3D gear!" Eren shouted, shooting his ropes and sticking himself to the wall. He looked around to make sure all of his friends have safely hung themselves to the wall. He instantly caught sight of a piece of a brick hitting Samuel on the head before he started falling down. Helplessly, he shouted his name out, and before he could slam himself to the ground, Sasha dashed down, shooting one of her ropes and stab it right through Samuel's leg. The green-eyed boy flinched in pain as he saw his comrade hanging head down. 

It was happening again. Even when standing right in front of Eren for the second time, he could not believe his eyes. The same Titan that contributed to the assassination of his mother stood right in front of him. The same creature that has wiped away most of humanity's home. Eren could hear his comrades talking but he could not hear them, Not when he was busy staring at the giant who has stolen so much from him.

_I'm going to kill it._

"Sasha, take care of Samuel" He roared while he started running up the wall "Four teams to ready the reinforced canons! Prepare to engage!" He gave them a glance "The target lies straight ahead! At the Colossal Titan, now!" He gritted his teeth, watching as he reached the top of the wall "Now's our chance! He's the only one capable of breaking through the wall, we must put him down!" 

He reached the top with a jump. The sight before his eyes was breathtaking. The Titan was still steaming hot air as his small eyes looked around. Once they landed on Eren, they glared and stared. The green-eyed boy looked at the face of his nightmares, the muscle moving as if it had its own mind, yellowish teeth, and big ears. The sight was...

_Disgusting_

"Hey," Eren said "Haven't seen you in five years"

_The battle starts now._

 

 


	3. First Battle

Eren was ready to attack when he noticed the Colossal pulling his arm backward. He was barely able to avoid his attack as he jumped down and hung on the wall, trying to avoid getting hit with the rock from the walls. He glanced up and lost no time shooting his gear to the Colossal's arm and flying upwards, running along the arm flesh of said Titan. As he was running up to the Titan he noticed. The attach he just pulled destroyed the near cannons ready to shoot at him, and the shot he took to the door was nowhere near random. This seemed well thought, which led to one conclusion.

_It's intelligent._

It did not matter. Being since this Titan was the only one able to break through the wall if he killed just this one, Eren thought, maybe humanity would be restored. This was his chance. As he ran forward he took flight and jumped upwards, turning the gas on to get higher, he looked at the Titan's nape and once he was ready, he lunged down in a flash, blades read to cut through the flesh of the creature.

_You're dead._

And then, hot air.

Eren was blown away by hot air, once again, being unable to open up his eyes, he lost eyeshot of his target. This was not the time to give up, he thought to himself and once the hot air steamed down he continued lunging forward, his blade met cutting air.

 _Did I miss?_ Eren thought as he looked to were the Colossal was supposed to stand  _No, he disappeared._

"He disappeared" Eren shouted, desperation evident in his voice.

"Did you kill it?"

"No" Eren's eyes were moving like crazy, his pupils as small as a cat's "I didn't, he disappeared" There was a knot in his throat, guilt, regret, anger, vengeance, so many feelings inside just one boy "It's like five years ago" He muttered while looking down at his comrades, feeling disappointed in himself. Maybe if he has been faster, or had a plan; Maybe if. "I'm sorry," Eren said as his hands trembled and his body stood still. Did he let it away? Was it his fault?

"Why are you..." Thomas started talking but Eren's mind was away. He was brought back to reality by the shouts given by Connie.

"...the wall has been breached!" Eren's eyes darted to look down watching the now destroyed door "If we do not fix that soon this will be the end of us!" Just as Connie finished talking, another unknown voice called on them. Eren noticed by his jacket he was part of the Garrison. He and his comrades saluted him and his companion as he made his way to them.

"The special Colossal Titan Strategy is in process" The Garrison informed "Get to your positions, if you engaged physically with the Colossal, be sure to inform to the headquarters"

"Yes, Sir!"

* * *

_Oh no._

Armin's hands trembled in panic as he was trying to fix some of the armament. His heartbeat was fast and unsynchronized, he was having an attack. His friends, the ones who were now is family, were in danger once again. Even though he spent the last three years training for this moment, he knew he was useless, he knew he would have to depend on Mikasa and Eren in order to survive, he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything at all,  _again._

"Armin!" The boy jumped in his place as the tanned boy made his way to stand next to his blond friend, and crouched next to him, helping him fix the armament "You okay?" He asked, worry evident in his features. Armin, exasperated, nodded rapidly and replied;

"Yes! I am good" He stuttered, not quite believing his own words, even so, he continued his ramble "We're in trouble big time! We have a hole about 8 meters high and it takes time to fix this thing!" His hands trembled as he thought of the Titans inviting already, a chill running through his spine "The rock we were supposed to use to block the entry, we haven't even dug it up" As he spoke he realized that as much as he wanted to look this in a positive light, everything seemed a lost cause "With the hole not filled, the town will be abandoned, and it's just matter of time before Wall Rose also gets breached and the truth is..." He said, panic filling his sight "Whenever they feel like it, titans can wipe us out every minute now"

"Armin," Said Eren, snapping the blond from his thoughts "Take it easy" Armin looked down at his trembling hands and sighed. Like always, all he managed to do was worry his friends, that's all he was useful for, just a burden. The least he could do now is try to keep it together.

"Sorry, I'll be fine"

They made their way to the formation and listened to members of the garrison as they explained what the plan was.

The drill supposedly was the same as in training, they would split up, to each team it's passage and should be abided by the stationary troops' instructions. The task would consist in supplying, transmitting information and keep the place clean of titans. There were three wards; front, middle and rear. Fron was assigned to the stationary troops, middle working for the training corps under the garrison's commands and the rear would serve the stationary's troops elite squads.

"Furthermore..." The Garrison Member said, a grim expression covering his eyes "Fleeing in front of the enemy will be met with capital punishment, you are sacrificing your lives, make sure they count" As he finished, all the soldiers replied with a respectful salute to their superior and went to get ready for action.

Armin could sense the distress around the soldiers. In some way, it comforted him the fact that he was not the only one to be scared. But that was rather selfish. His eyes flicked through the crowd when they landed on [Name], her face as cold and expressionless as always. Sometime about the air about her was weird though, Armin could not put a finger on it though. Quickly, she glanced his way, a glint of something dangerous in her eyes. Armin gulped down saliva as he stood in a staring contest with his comrade. After what seemed like ages, the staring contest was interrupted by Ian calling the [h/c] haired girl into the rear guard. She glanced one last time to Armin, saluting him before stomping away, leaving the blond frozen in place.

He was out of his trance though, quickly enough as he watched Mikasa and Eren bickering as always. Probably because Mikasa was hesitant on leaving Eren on his own. Armin wanted to reach Mikasa and tell her not to worry because he would be able to keep Eren safe. But he knew that was a lie. 

Once they finally parted ways, Eren trotted to Armin.

"Ready?" He asked the blond. The only reply was a weak nod and they flew away.

After some minutes of flying around, the assigned squad landed on a roof of the building, watching out for any Titan that might be near.

"Hey, Armin" Eren called, quite intrigued by the intense look on his friend "This is an opportunity, you know? To get higher ranks, and even though we are still not in, we'll be up there" The blond looked quite surprised at the reassuring words of his friend, nonetheless he smiled.

"Sure, no doubt"

"Team 34 onward!" Eren shouted calling the whole group attention "Let's move out!" And just like that, the whole squad once again flying through the towns in search of Titans.

It wasn't much later until they found a horde of Titans awaiting them. Eren and some other cadet were talking but Armin could not concentrate on their words, not now.

_Survive_

"Out of the way!" And then Armin snapped back to reality, getting out of the way as said. He stared at Thomas though. Being chewed by a Titan. Something about watching his comrade being eaten out by a Titan turned something on Armin. He saw Eren lunging forward and trying to attack the titan, ending in him getting his leg eaten off. The blond fell to his knees, panic rising inside him, his ears ringing and his head heavy.

He watched as the rest of his comrades risked their lives for the sake of humanity while he was frozen in place. He watched as all his comrades were being eaten put by the Titans, and all he could wonder of was why. Even as he was being picked up by a Titan, he was frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

_Is this how I die?_

As he fell to the mouth of the Titan, a shriek echoed out of Armin's own mouth. He was slipping down the Titan's throat until he felt a grip on his wrist. Even as his tears blocked his sight, he was able to identify the cadet who is trying to save him.

_Eren?_

He was quickly pulled outside and fell roughly on a roof. He coughed and looked back, watching as Eren was trying to fight off the Titan's jaw.

"I'm not dying here," He said, Armine just glared at him "Armine, you taught me about the outside world and I wanna see it for myself, I..." Armin extended his arm begging his friend would be quick enough to hold it, but just in a second, his arm was chopped off.

All Armin could do was scream.

* * *

 

_Chaos._

That was all [Name] could see. Even Humans were attacking themselves out of panic. It was so pitiful to watch.

_Pathetic._

She glanced as Ackerman slew a Titan's neck in swift movements. She watched as she started fighting off one of the Merchants. Annoyed by the attitude of the rude man, she made her way to him.

"...the fate of lowly grunts like-- Oi" his words were interrupted as the [e/c]-eyed girl pushed him to the wall, and growled, staring deep into his disgusting face. He started sweating cold and his breathing hitched. Once she knew he was intimidated enough and wouldn't be a bother, she let him go, as he scurried away in-between people. She dusted herself off, disgusted by the man. She watched a girl thanking Ackerman for her good job. The girl merely saluted the small girl and walked away, [Name] close behind.

"Thanks" Muttered the Asian to the other cadet, only receiving a small nod as a reply. Both girls climbed up the building, seeing as Ian was waiting for them both.

"Good Job killing that Titan, Ackerman" 

The conversation got drowned in between thoughts and cold calculations. There were too many Titans around for mere humans to defeat them all. It did not matter how many of them were around, the ex-trainees just graduated and they were nowhere near prepared for this. [Name] grunted at the small chances of getting out of this alive, statistics never lied. 

She glanced around just to watch Ackerman slaying down another Titan with ease. 

_Ackeman._

A bell rung, known for it being the withdrawal signal. The soldiers must replenish their stock of gas and blades before climbing the walls. [e/c] watched as Ackerman flew away with the excuse of assisting the front guard's retreat. Decided, the other girl followed suit, ignoring the calls of their superior.

She slaughtered about any Titan that came in the way. Ackerman did not take much time to notice the other cadet's presence, but she knew there was no time to care about.

They both landed on a roof where a few soldiers were standing helplessly. They pointed to the supply tower, just to see it invaded by Titans.

"What do we do?" Asked one of the cadets exasperated.

"We do nothing," Kirschtein said, as he sat down on the roof "the withdrawal bell already rang, and here we are, out of gas and unable to climb the walls, and we're gonna die" He ruffled his own hair and sighed "All because of those filthy cowards. They've lost their will to fight, and I can understand, but calling off the supplying mission, letting us hang out dry, that's wrong, and if it was not enough, the Titans swam in and we cannot even go replenish our stock gas" Pulling strands of hair, Kirschtein seemed beaten and defeated.

_How annoying._

[Name] watched as an argument between Springer and Kirschtein unfolded, claiming, in the end, everything was useless. 

_Weak_

She sighed, annoyed she had to go through such methods, but statistics were never wrong, and if she did not do it, they would all end up dying, eventually.

She took off her gear and gave it to Kirschstein. The boy looked up startled by the noise and looked up to the cadet holding out her gear.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, bewildered by such an action. He got no reply, since [Name] just let the gear fall down to the ground and she sprinted off, jumping from roof to roof which such a speed that in seconds she was out of eyeshot

_Tsk._

* * *

"Eren sacrificed himself from me" The words did not register in her brain "I was unable... I could not do a thing. Please forgive me" Armin was crying and trying to explain himself. What was he saying?

_Eren's dead._

Something snapped inside the girl. Her heart crushing in pieces. Pain. How long was it since she felt this way? Probably five years ago with the Colossal Titan first attacked. She looked down at her blond friend, crying his eyes out.

_Not the moment._

"Armin" She called, getting the boy's attention "This is neither the time nor the place to be emotional" She grabbed the boy by the wrist and helped him up "Marco if we eliminate the Titans swarming near the Supply tower, everyone would be able to replenish their gas reserves and climb the wall, right?" The girl asked, monotone.

"Yeah" Marco responded hesitantly and continued "But even if you're here, there are so many"

"We can do this," She said, getting a confused glare from Marco "therefore, I am perfectly capable of kicking those Titan's ass, including my own if it's necessary"  _[Name] was right_ "All of you spineless cowards, you're a shame, just stay and watch helplessly with envy, you do that" She turned on her heels and started walking away

"Mikasa?" A cader questioned and Mikasa simply replied;

"If I die, I'll die, but if I win, I get to live" She paused before continuing "you don't stand a single chance to win unless you fight" And with that, she flew away. She ignored the rest as she continued slaughtering Titans, unaware and uncaring of her gas levels when suddenly she started falling down.

_Eren._

That was all she could think of. His savior, his family, now dead. Why was it that it never lasted more than a few years? Maybe the one meant to die was her, not the people around.

She got ready for the impact of the hard floor that never came, instead, being embraced by a rough and warm surface. Mikasa opened her eyes, watching as she fell into the hands of a Titan. She wanted to laugh, she would die swallowed up by a Titan.

And just then, she looked up. The titan was nothing like she's ever seen. Totally white, skin breaking showing the mouth and deep black eyes. It looked like a mummy, those monsters that Armen and Eren used to talk about. Mikasa staring at the Titan's eyes, expecting the death that never came.

Instead, the Titan softly let her rest at the top of a building, running off to slam a Titan to the floor and killing it in an instant.

_A Titan killing another Titan?_

She stared at the mysterious Titan as it attacked the Titans surrounding the Supply Tower. When it seemed like it could not get any weirder, she turned around to a harsh sound, watching as another abnormal Titan attacked one of the others.

_Two Titan killers? It pretty much looked like..._

_The manifestation of Humanity's anger._

The look in both Titans as they killed others was something fearful, yet endearing. Just what were they doing?

Before she could think anymore, she got picked off the roof and she was flying. She glanced up at Armin who was holding her with force. They fell together into another roof with the rest of the cadets.

"Mikasa, are you alright?" Armin asked, and Mikasa nodded, not wanting to get into detail with the encounter with certain Titans.

"Oh no," Connie exclaimed "Two fifteen meter class coming near" Everybody glanced to look at the creatures, Mikasa quickly recognizing one of them as the second Titan she encountered. It took a fighting stance and slammed his fist in the other's face, sending its head flying away in a rather disturbing way.

The three of them stared in awe as the Titan killer continued with his defensive stance.

"We should head back to the Supply Tower," Connie said, bursting the moment.

"Mikasa's gas is em--"

"Give her [Name]'s" Mikasa's head snapped to look at both boys with an unreadable expression, noticing what it might be about, Connie explained "Earlier, she took off her gear and gave it to Jean, after that she took off running through the roofs" Mikasa looked bewildered.

_Coward._

 

 

She did not have a second take as she put on the gas supply and flew away with Armin and Connie behind her, listening as Armin planned how to take out the Titans down the Supply Tower.

Once they were there though, they found almost every Titan slew.

There was a much bigger one taking on them, breaking them with what seemed a hammer. They stared at the Titan continued killing the others, even more, surprised when the other Titan killer they saw earlier came crashing their fist against the smaller ones.

Once most of them were dead, the mummy-like Titan glanced at the trio. Armin and Connie sucked their breath while Mikasa just stood still. It approached them rather slowly and once it was standing in front of them, it said;

" _Inside. Kill_." And it fleed. The three were bewildered beyond words

Did a Titan just speak to them?

The thoughts were interrupted by the killer Titan roaring and attacking. It seemed like it was never the right time to think about the stuff that's been happening around. They nodded to each other, leaving their thoughts for later and coming inside the building.

Once inside, they explained how they planned on killing the Titans that were left inside the Supply Tower since the ones outside were already taken care of by the mysterious Titans. They would use guns to shoot at the Titans while other cadets would slay their necks, everything simultaneously. It was a long shot and they all knew it. But it was worth the risk, they had nothing to lose.

The plan was successful, to say the least, even after some difficulties, involving Connie and Sasha.

Once recharged, they took off outside, only to watch one of the killers Titan's being eaten by others.

"Cannibalism?" Said Armin and Mikasa could not take her eyes off the figure. There was something in that creature that made it even far more humane than the other Titans, despite their humanoid built.

"Let's save it," Reiner said, gaining some wary glances his way. This won a lot of fight, especially from Jean, but Annie interrupted.

"This titan might turn out to be an ally. It'd be much more powerful weapon than any canon" The undeniable fact was there, lying right in front of their eyes.

 _What about the other one?_ Mikasa wanted to ask, but she found herself unable to do so.

They watched as it attacked an abnormal, biting his neck off rather harshly.

"That's the Titan that ate Thomas..." Armin muttered under his breath.

The Titan, finding it's new force, started taking the other's down, ending them while the cadets watched while trying to fathom what was going on. As it finally killed every Titan that was left, it plopped down to the ground. Something was wrong though.

_Eren?_

Mikasa rushed as she watched Eren emerge from the Titan's nape. She took no time to embrace the one she thought as lost and bawl her eyes out. All of the cadets staring at the scene unfolding in front of them. Mikasa could not care less though. Eren was fine. Eren was alive.

_Eren._

 

 


	4. Captain Levi

They were making their way to North. Another wall has been breached and they could not afford to lose time. Titan's were swarming into the district and if they did not stop them soon enough this could easily mean the end of humankind.

As they were flying in-between building, a short figure moved as swift as the wind, leaving behind him a trail of dying Titans.

"Levi" One of the soldiers, named Petra, shouted after the man "Erwin's going to the wall, we are left to deal with the Titans by ourselves," she said and Levi shrugged knowing that whatever that mad had to do up there must be important business. He continued making his way through the town when he took a glance at a familiar figure running between streets.

_No._

"Hey, is that an abnormal?" Asked Petra as she took a look at the same figure Levi was staring out. Panicked, he started lunging forward trying to get at its pace. When he noticed Petra and the rest were about to follow, he shouted;

"You continue, leave this one to me" And like that he flew away, trying to fasten his diving through the sky. He was flying as fast as his Gear let him, but the Titan was faster, even if it was hurt, he knew if he did not do something about it, it would end up running away. So, as much as it hurt him to do so, he launched his wires, attaching them to the white flesh of the Titan's limbs and started attacking its legs, making it fall down in its knees. The Titan seemed to struggle to move as if trying to escape without really hurting his attacker.

Levi then impulsed himself with some buildings, helping him up no rest his feet on the Titan's face, gripping in the flesh rather harshly to not fall.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked in a low growl. He watched as the Titan's eyes were filled with recognition, and pretty soon pooled with guilt. It darted it's gaze away, trying to not look at the man standing in its face.

" _Levi_ " The Titan croaked, with its deep raspy voice. The lieutenant only responded with a glare.

* * *

_The sun was setting already, but he knew he still needed to buy new cleaning instruments since the ones at the headquarters were already on the brink of extinction. He sighed as he walked through the market, disgusted as the sweaty bodies of the rest of the people moved around, invading his personal space._

_He walked in-between the booth's when he watched a smaller figure extending the hand to the fruits on display and stealing them. He curiously followed the shadow, totally forgetting the main reason he was at the market. The figure moved swiftly as it ran through the streets, Levi following suit. Then, the figure disappeared down the entrance of the underground city, and Levi stood cold for a minute. It has been some time before he has gone down there._

_He mustered the courage, though, and continued trailing behind the figure. As he went down there, he noticed the scowls people threw his way along with various insults. People ran past him, occasionally knocking his shoulder, leaving dirt on Levi's clothing. He would've gotten hell if Levi wasn't trailing behind the shadow. It suddenly made a sharp turn on a corner, and Levi fastened his steps just to be met against a brick wall. He was indeed confused, he swore he watched the figure entering the alley. Just as he started looking up, he was knocked down to the floor, a blade threatening to dig in his neck._

_The solder sucked up a hard breath and looked at the blade at his neck, then at the hands of the aggressor. Said hands were small. [s/c] colored skin, nails filled with dirt and small cuts at the edges of the hand. He trailed the skin, swimming from the hand to the arm and neck, quickly taking a glance at the kid in front of him. It was a girl. Long, dirty hair framing her thin unhealthy face. He stared at her steely [e/c] pools. Time seemed to stop, a familiar figure standing right in front of him. It wasn't a girl anymore. It was a boy, long black hair and ivory skin, ragged clothes and thing to the bone, fighting for his will to live. Was he staring at himself?_

_Once remembering the knife in his neck, the recoiled picture of him vanished, leaving a scared girl behind, dressed in a white simple dress, dirty and ripped._

_"You followed me"_

_"You stole from a man's merchandise," He said sternly. Watching the girl's frown transform into a scowl._

_The girl seemed to be eyeing him, examining his face, slowly the rest of him. Once she caught a glimpse of the wings of liberty, she gasped and let the knife to the floor. She fell flat on her back as she scurried away from the older man, wrapping her arms around her legs once her back hit the corner of the alley. Tears started falling down her eyes, cleaning the dirtiness of her cheeks as she sobbed dramatically._

_"Please don't hurt me, Sir." She begged, face hidden in between his knees, as Levi slowly raised from the ground, eyes focused on the scene before him "I was just trying to survive, please, have mercy" She cried some more and Levi walked carefully to her. Once he was in front of her, he crouched and placed his hand on the girl's hair ignoring the way she tried to flinch away from him._

_Her hair was hard and dirty, it was hard to pass the fingers trough, it was full of dirt and it could definitely use a wash._

_"Weren't you the one who had the knife against my neck a second ago?" He tried asking, face stern and stoic, but his voice softening noticeably. Noting the change in his tone, the girl looked up from where she was hiding her face and stared at the grey eyes that were piercing against her own [e/c]._

_"I'm sorry" She whispered._

_Levi took his time looking at the girl, noticing every single detail about her. It was obvious she's been living in the underground for quite sometimes. Levi, having lived there by himself, could understand why she would attack him, and why he caught her stealing. In the end, here in the underground, it was an endless game of survival, just that instead of Titans, humans were the enemy._

_"Where are your parents?" The way the girl looked at him told him everything, yet, he waited for a response. After what seemed too much time, she sighed and answered the question, a gleam of sadness and nostalgia in her eyes._

_"They're dead," She said flatly._

_"Come home with me" Levi did not register the words that came out of his mouth until they were out in the air. He could see the girl as surprised as he was by the offer. The girl seemed to be thinking about it and hesitating. Her eyes moved to examine the lieutenant face, looking for any trace of a cheat or a lie. After quite some time, they both stayed silent. The hand Levi had on the girl's hair finding its way to start caressing her head sweetly, as for she sighed._

_"May I please?" She asked, her voice breaking by the end of the sentence and quickly becoming a crying mess. Levi's heart ached as he remembered his days living in the underground wishing for someone to save him. He enveloped the girl in a hug and carried her in his arms. He didn't notice the girl snotting mucus in his uniform, and if he did he did not say anything because he decided he did not care at the moment._

_Back at the headquarters, she hid the girl with his cloak, walking between many officers who greeted him and he nodded in response. He tried to be swift and quick while moving around the halls to reach his chamber without any interruption or suspicion, as he was not sure if he could maintain kids around. And now that he thought about it, what would he do when he needed to go to an expedition? He could not ask for anybody to look out for the girl, what if they reported him of kidnap? What if he died in one of the missions? What would it become of her? he started thinking more and more and didn't take look to realize how much of a bad idea this was. It wasn't until a quiet snoring interrupted his thoughts, he looked down. He removed the cloak from the girl's face just to see her peacefully sleeping while keeping a hard grip on his shirt, drool falling off the corner of her mouth. The way Levi's heartbeat quickened told him that at least for now, this wasn't such a bad idea._

_He managed to silently slip into his chambers without anyone suspecting anything weird. Once inside, he looked up the door and breathed heavily as he rested his back on the door. Looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms he sighed. 'What am I doing?' He asked himself. The girl started squirming under his gaze and slowly she started to open her eyes. At first, they flashed fear but as quick as it came it was soon replaced by recognition along with a sigh of relief._

_"What's your name, brat?" He asked. The girl looked confused at him before he giggled a little, making Levi's heart flutter in awe._

_"[Name] [L.Name]" She said a bright smile on her face. Levi felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth as he smirked at the [Name]_

_"So you do have the last name, huh? Well [Name], my name's Levi, let's get along, shall we?" The girl nodded enthusiastically and before she could say anything else, Levi continued "You stink" The girl's face fell as Levi marched his way to the bathroom and turned on the bath. The older man settled the girl on the floor as he managed to open the faucets, trying to get the right temperature for the bath. Once he thought it was okay, he turned to watch the girl standing awkwardly at the door frame. He sighed and pointed at the tub. She tilted her head with curiosity and nodded as she started making her way near the tub._

_Levi helped [Name] strip off her dirty clothes and in the tub. He folded the clothing and was walking away to put them away since they seemed far from reusable before he heard the girl called after him. He turned around and looked at the girl._

_"Don't leave" She whispered as she stared at her own hands. Levi debated between leaving and getting rid of the stinking clothes as soon as possible and staying in there. He decided for the latter, leaving the clothes on the sink and sitting in the toilette as he decided to help the girl bathe herself. It was indeed a long bath, and once they were finished, the bath was full of dirt and mud, but at least [Name] wasn't dirty anymore, and smelled rather good. He enveloped the girl in a towel and carried her back to the room. He took out one of his old shirts and fresh new boxers and helped the girl dress up in them._

_At last, she was clean and fresh._

_He went back to the bathroom for the dirty clothes and he put them inside a plastic bag. He let the bag in the sink and went to empty the tub. Once the water ran out he let an exasperated grunt as he saw dirt still in his tub. He quickly cleaned before he had a seizure. He went back into the room rubbing his head, grabbed a pair of sleepwear and returned to the bathroom to change out of his uniform. Once ready, he went back inside just to see the girl sound asleep in his bed. Once again, he wondered what the hell he was doing._

_Instead of dwelling on the thought though, he moved the girl aside as he laid beside her, getting the covers over both of them. He let his eyes closed and fell into a slumber sleep as he felt tiny arms wrapping around him._

* * *

_It_ _was morning and he was finally coming back of a three days expedition. It has been already a year since [Name], or as he is used to calling_ _her, Kitten, started living with him at the headquarters_ _. Indeed_ , _it_ _was a migraine trying to keep the girl a secret from everyone else,_ especially _Mike, since he says he smells of somebody else. At first, his comrades started joking about him finally finding a lover, soon the rumors died down as he no longer reacted to their jokes and_ _whistles._

_During the whole expedition, he has been on edge, wondering how was his Kitten doing back at the headquarters. During the whole year of cohabiting, he became rather fond of the small girl, finding her company quite enjoyable. He was quick in considering the girl as his own. The daughter he never dreamt of having. Even if she was still an eight-year-old child, she was mature and knew how to control her emotions. Over the years, she adopted some of Levi's quirks such as his need for clean places and his stoic face. About the first one he found no problem since clean places were a safe environment, what he did not like was the latter. He knew his expressionless face caused trouble at times and intimidation and she did not like the idea of his little girl adapting that hard and lonely part of him. He couldn't do anything about it, at all. He sighed in annoyance._

_The ride back to the headquarters was quick, and once he jumped off his mare, he ran to his room, avoiding contact with any other soldier. When he finally reached his door, he opened it rather quickly and entered to be met with silence. He stepped inside and looked around the room, but there was no one. His heartbeat increased as he continued looking the same places over and over again. Where has his Kitten gone to?_

_He ran out, slamming the door shut, and went to the forest near the headquarters. He stomped around while shouting his little girl's name. He ran and ran, and eventually, he found the sight of something unexpected._

_Right in front of him, laid a Titan as never seen before. White skin, broken near the eyes and mouth area, letting the man see the dark pool of eyes it possessed. He quickly hid behind a tree and cursed himself for replenishing his equipment before going out. But again, what was a Titan doing here? He looked back at the Titan as it suddenly took a look at Levi. He froze in place staring at the Titan. It continued eyeing Levi with a glint of guilt, shame, and recognition._

_"Levi" it whispered and Levi felt chills run through his spine. Did it just call his name? And before he could question himself further, steam started to get out of the Titan's body. Levi shielded himself behind the same tree. Once he stopped feeling the hot air, he looked back at the Titan, just to see [Name] emerging from the nape of the Titan. Immediately as she got out, she breathed in a whole lot of air and collapsed to the floor. Levi ran to her, falling to his knees and grabbing the girl by her shoulders._

'Is this real?'  _he questioned himself_ 'Does this mean, she's a Titan?'  _he wondered to himself. So many unanswered questions running through his head._

_He needed to tell someone. He knew he needed to tell someone._

_But then he glanced at the girl. She was breathing heavily and she just looked so human, so vulnerable, nothing like the monsters outside the walls. He was sure that if he told someone they would slaughter her, or worse, they would experiment on her as if she were an unanimated object._

_Unconsciously, he held the girl closer to his chest and started rocking her back and forth._

_He could tell no one._

* * *

 

_"Ready?" Asked Erwin as he neared with his horse to where Levi was standing. The man merely nodded and signaled the other away, who conceded with a huff. Once he was sure he was not looking, he lifted the_ _blankets in the provision cart and looked at the girl hiding behind the boxes._

_He put a finger to his lips asking her to stay silent, and she returned the gesture, smiling sweetly at him. Levi smirked and covered her with the blanket and hoped on his horse, the expedition starts._

_It was less than half a year ago when he discovered [Name]'s ability to turn into a Titan. At first, it was weird, and it frightened him that she might become a Titan inside of the headquarters and someone would kill her if she went rogue. Because he knew he would not be able to. Not while knowing it was his little girl. Thank whoever was watching above, that never happened, instead, happening during their time walking around the woods when they, fortunately, were alone._

_As the months went by, they both discovered the detonating reason for her transformation was the pain. As weird as it sounded, that, and a reason to. That was the common fact in all the times she became one. They've been practicing the control of her powers, but after being almost busted twice, he decided to take her out into an expedition and try and practice in the tall-trees forest. Of course, he would be keeping an eye on her while also hide her, but it was worth a shot._

_After finally getting to the forest, right outside the wall, the soldiers started to settle. Before anyone could look, he sprinted, getting the girl out of the provision cart and fleeing with her. He knew Erwin would probably take it as him running away from dirty chores. They went to a reasonable distance, and settled in the group, [Name] still hanging off Levi's shirt. He tapped the girl's shoulders and showed her they were already down on the ground. She opened her eyes and scrambled down of Levi's arms. Once she reached the floor, she looked up gleefully at Levi._

_"Want to start now Kitten?" He asked, and the smaller girl nodded enthusiastically. She was about to bit her lip when she looked at Levi expectantly. He tilted his head in confusion and she moved her hands telling him to move away. He understood and shoot his wires to stand in one of the branches of a nearby tree. He observed as his girl bit her lip, drawing blood and almost instantly drag a lightning from the ground, transforming her into what he knows as her Titan form._

_Now that he has watched her transform various times, he could see her Titan form was like none other, and actually quite delightful and endearing, even beautiful he might say. But maybe that was just because he knew that inside that creature, his girl was there._

_He started moving to the girl and placed his feet on her nose and his hands on the skin of her head, watching how those innocent eyes stared at him._

_"You feel okay, Kitten?" The Titan nodded slowly as for trying not to make Levi fall off. Levi nodded and stood away in another branch "Remember I thought you some hand-to-hand combat skills?" Nod "Sparr by yourself in this form, be careful though, we don't want any incriminating accidents" [Name] nodded and did what she was told. As much as Levi could get, she was a fighter and a quick learner. Even in her human form, her stances and her attacks were swift and precise. Very well for a young girl her age._

_After a while, Levi was satisfied with the progress, letting the girl get out of her Titan form. Once she was separated with the Titan, the man cupped the girl in his arms when suddenly he heard the wires of a 3D Maneuvering Gear._

Oh no.

_He saw Erwin land in front of him, and unreadable frown on his face. He looked at the evaporating Titan, then at Levi, at the girl, and once again at Levi._

_"What's going on?"_

_Busted._

_He found no way out other than explaining the situation to Erwin._

_Leaving behind certain Titan-related fact out of the conversation._

* * *

_It's been one and a half year since Erwin discovered about [Name]. At first, he was mad the Lieutenant was hiding such a secret from him and was bound on getting the girl another home, but after some begging on the girl's part and an apology from Levi, he decided against it, growing rather fond of the small girl as the months went by. By now, only Erwin and Mike knew about [Name]. It was hard to hide it since Mike's talent was beyond amazing, so he was unable to not tell him, Mike, being the good comrade he is, swore secrecy._

_It was a day like any other. They've just come back from an expedition, safe to say was unsuccessful. Nothing new. They headed back to the headquarters and prepared to rest. Levi was quick to eat and take some meat into his plate, leaving some as he was going to share it with [Name], who has been patiently waiting in his room for the past few days. Once he was back to the chamber, Kitten was quick on noticing his presence, smile unfolding in her face as she saw Levi's expressionless face. She ran to him, a cup of tea in her hands._

_"Look Levi!" [Name] said excitedly "It's tea! Try it!" She extended her hands to Levi who looked suspiciously at the cup. He took a drink out of it, noticing it was just water and he smiled._

_"That was good," He said, voice flat as always, but somehow, [Name] always found the underlying feelings behind his monotone voice. She smiled proudly at herself and started drinking the 'tea'. She had also acquired Levi's rare way of holding the cup. He smiled._

_The moment was interrupted by a desperate knock on Levi's door. The older man told the girl to hide and she did so in the bathroom. After she was hidden, he opened the door watching as one of the soldiers standing, a grim look on his face._

_"The Titan's have broken down Wall Maria"_

_He slammed the door shut and ran to the bathroom, and looked at [Name], eyes filled with horror. He hugged the girl tight before saying;_

_"I need to go" [Name] barely nodded as Levi ran out of the room and made his way to Wall Maria._

_He left Trost to go help evacuate citizens at Wall Maria. It was near impossible. There were too many people. He watched as people jumped on to the boats, hoping to get in, but failed, falling into the river. Levi tried to get them under control until he saw Titans heading near Maria's docks. He knew is someone did not take care of them, it would be chaotic._

_He got his blades out and shoot his wires, slaying every single Titan that was around. He was cutting through the air when he heard a familiar cry. His head snapped as he watched [Name] being held in a Titan's hand. Time stood still._

How did she get here?

_It didn't matter. He left a semi-slew Titan and cut directly to the nape of the Titan that was holding his girl. Once the Titan started falling down and its grip softened on the girl, he caught her before she could hit the ground. Once in the ground, he let her down, anger flashing through his eyes._

_"What were you thinking?" He shouted, fury in his voice and fire in his eyes "I told you to stay home? How did you even get here? That Titan could've killed you!" At the mention of the word 'Titan', [Name] Froze. She looked up at Levi, shame in her features._

_"Was that monster a Titan?" She asked, her voice above a whisper._

_"Yeah, it was!" The older man yelled "That thing-- That monster could've killed you in a snap and here you are--"_

_"Am I a monster?"_

_Silence._

_The words took time to register. He just stared at [Name]'s face as tears flowed down her cheeks. Levi's heart crunched in pain and guilt. Was this what this was about? He watched the girl._ his  _girl breaks down in front of him, sobbing hard at the thought of being compared to those beasts._

_Levi never really thought about it that way. In the end, it would always be his little Kitten. Minutes passed by before he wrapped his arms and embraced his girl as she cried her eyes out._

_"You're not a monster, [Name]" His voice soothing and comforting. This only led the girl to cry, even more, breaking the older man's heart into pieces. Is this how it felt to be helpless? How could he convince his girl that she was not a monster when she already believed so?_

_"Papa," She muttered as she wrapped herself around Levi, letting herself be rocked back and forth by the only person who has shown care in such a long time. Levi's broken heart fluttered as the word left the girls mouth. A single tear fell_ _down his cheek._

_"Let's go home" He did not wait for an answer as they were already flying through the skies._

_He knew this was wrong. He should be helping the survivors get on the boats and help them evacuate Wall Maria._

_But he could not care less when his girl was breaking down in tears._

* * *

_Since the fall of Wall Maria, [Name] wasn't the same. Levi has noticed. She did not smile as much as she also did not laugh as much. She did not even talk at all unless it was utterly necessary and all that broke the older masn's heart. Where has his innocent girl gone to?_

_Lately, all he could see was a young cadet. The girl had asked Levi to train her to become a cadet. He really could not put much of a fight when she was staring at him with those big [e/c] orbs of her. So he trained her. He asked Erwin to help him train her in the educational field. It was safe to say the commander was beyond happy to assist the girl he thought of as a niece. Mike helped him at a time too, to develop the same smelling sense as him, which was a rather weird training, but successful. He also showed her the ropes at wearing de 3D Maneuvering Gear while Levi was away since he knew that even though he let [Name] train like a soldier, he would be unable to let her enroll into the military, so he thought hand-to-hand would be enough for her life inside the walls._

_It indeed came as a surprise when, at age of twelve, [Name] claimed that she wanted to enroll the military._

_"No" Was the immediate answer._

_"Papa," [Name] insisted "please, I need it," she said, something in her voice wavering "I want to help humanity since monster like myself have destroyed it" A sudden slap echoed in the room. [Name] held her reddened cheek as he stared at Levi, a sad look in his eyes "Papa?" She asked carefully, trying not to rile up the many anymore than she already had._

_"You're no monster [Name]" His tone sounded hurt, as if someone just stabbed him "You never were and never will, you listen to me?" The girl nodded, regretful for her choice of words and stared as Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed and glanced at the girl "Are you sure that's what you want?"_

_"Yes," She said, rather quickly._

_"Then that shall be it," Said Levi, giving up. He knew his girl and knew she would fight for what she wanted. After hearing those words, the next that happened made Levi happier than he has been in the past two years since Wall Maria. [Name] smiled and jumped into his arms enveloping the man in a bear hug._

_"Thank you"_

_Exactly a week later, the enrollment to the military started. [Name] came back to her closed off self and Levi sighed. Was this the right choice? He sure hoped so. After having her registered, he accompanied her to the camp, carrying a bag with things she would need once in there. He looked at her and sighed._

I will miss her.

_"I'll miss you, Papa," she said, faint blush in her cheeks, face stoic as always. Levi shook his head and looked at her. He was not ready to let go, but even if she enrolled, and ended up in the Survey Corps that would mean he would be able to keep an eye on her, even if he preferred her to join the Brigade, as much as he hated them, so she could be safe._

_"I'll miss you too, Kitten," Since they were outside, they could not keep talking for long until someone suspected, so he gave the bag to his girl, kissed her forehead before turning on his heels and leaving her in hands of the trainees' corps. His heart aching as he was already missing her._

* * *

_That was three years ago._

"What are you doing?" He shouted, startling the girl. He sighed, not really wanted this to be the conversation they had to have after being three years apart. He felt the Titan move under his feet and he looked into her deep eyes. He felt as the muscles of her face moved.

" _Help_ " 

"Are you trying to help?" He asked and she nodded, Levi sighed.

He knew the reason she enrolled the Military was because she felt guilty about being a Titan. She felt as if she was the one who breached Wall Maria. He remembered how after that, she never transformed into her Titan form ever again.

_Until now._

"What would you do if they attacked you, huh?" He asked, worry outweighing the anger "What would you do? What would I do if after these three years I weren't able to find you? Don't you care about my feelings?" He felt his hands hot and jumped off the Titan just to watch [Name] emerge from the Nape.

_Like the first time._

Once she was out, she was on her knees, and he stared right at Levi. She hopped off the Titan's shell. She made her way to Levi, while he just stood there, watching her every movement.

He looked at her.

She looked older. She did not look fifteen. She looked as someone who has seen it everything. She was taller, he noticed too, and very beautiful. Her haircut in a way it framed her face perfectly. He has missed so much.

He had missed  _her._

"Papa," That was the first time in three years he has heard her voice. It was not sweet like the twelve-year-old she used to be. It was raspy and deep as if it had been buried down for so long. It still made Levi's heart content, as he knew it was her.

"Kitten," He nodded and gasped as she suddenly enveloped him in a hug. 

He returned the hug, caressing her hair like he used to do when he couldn't sleep. It's been three years. Three years too long since she had seen her. 

And then reality hit back.

A roar could be heard at the other side of the street. He looked at three Titans of different sizes making their way to them. Hurriedly, Levi turned to look at [Name], he scanned her noticing she had no gear. He stared at her and she just shrugged. He rolled his eyes.

_What a brat._

 

"I'm going to get you back" The girl nodded as she wrapped herself around Levi, letting him take her away.

Nostalgia hit Levi instantly. He lost three years of watching his girl grow and develop into the beautiful and strong teenager she was now. Yes, the time they've met each other was a few years, but that was more than enough to make Levi fond of her. She loved her as her own daughter, he knew that. He would risk his life for her in a heartbeat even if she did not like the idea of that. Because ever since Levi decided to take care of her, his world seemed brighter. He has suffered so much loss, and pain and this girl was able to make them go away with simple acts of gratitude and love. It really ached deep in his heart to acknowledge the fact that she has grown without him and she could probably live on without him. But he knew that was for the best, he did not know how long he would stay in this world, and how long he would manage to take care of his little girl.

They flew until they spotted Erwin in a safe place at the top of the wall. They climbed and Erwin turned to look at both of them.

"There's been a new plan," He said immediately, eyeing Levi's companion "Who might this be? Why is she not fighting with her comrades?" 

"It's Kitten"Erwin's eyes widened at the sight. He hugged her tightly. Once he let her go, he smiled and let a chuckle out his mouth;

"You remind me so much like Levi now" Levi glared at him, but Erwin just shrugged it off.

"What's the new plan?" He asked as he searched for a Gear he could borrow for [Name]. He searched until he found a box with what he was looking for. He got the Gear out and handed it to the girl before looking to replenish it. He continued looking until he found it and helped the girl with her equipment. He double checked everything, before looking back at Erwin who was grinning. Levi raised an eyebrow.

"Eren Jäger," He said. Levi watched as recognition swarmed down [Name]'s face "Cadet of the 104th trainee squad," _Of course, she was in the same squad as the kid_ "Was the fifth in between the ten best trainees" He looked pleased as both, Levi and [Name] looked at him confused "You won't believe me"

"Try us," Levi said as the girl nodded.

"He's got special abilities"

"What kind of abilities?" He was already frustrated with said mystery, just what really was going on?

"He can shift into a Titan" Both, Levi and [Name] stood frozen "Our mission right now is to _protect_ him while tries and plug the hole"

_What_ _?_

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Veredict

"I'm gonna kill them dead"

"Eren?" Armin stuttered. At the moment they were surrounded by many soldiers, canons and diverse weapons were pointed their way. He sat next to the green-eyed boy, trying t keep him awake, while Mikasa stood in front of both of them, swords in hands, ready to attack whenever it got out of control. 

"Eren!" Mikasa said, turning back to the said boy.

"Can you move?" Questioned Armin "Are you fully conscious" In spite of the other's confused gaze he continued asking questions "Tell me everything! Talk to me! We're bound to figure it out!" By the second, the blond boy got more exasperated. Any minute now they three could die in hands of their fellow comrades.

Armin could not quite understand the situation. That exasperated him. He has never been physically strong or the best fighter in hand-to-hand combat, but if there was one thing he knew, his intellect was excellent. He could fully understand things other couldn't, he founded strategies fun, and he enjoyed the knowledge. He relied on logic and facts.

Except for now.

Two facts were clear.

  1. Eren was human.
  2. Eren was a Titan.



Where was the logic now?

He looked around carefully as he heard soldiers whispering about his friend, accusing him of being a traitor, and a murderer. It was absurd. He did not know anyone who hated Titans as much as Eren, or someone who was so willing to give their lives for humanity's sake as much as Eren. But then why are they calling him a monster? How could they accuse him of conspiring against humanity sake when all his friend ever wanted to achieve is humanity's freedom over the Titan's reign of terror. He supposed that did not matter at all right now. Not when guns were pointing at him and his friends, ready to fire.

"Trainee Eren!" Armin snapped his head to look at Weilman "You have come to your senses, I see!" The blond could not help the chills that climbed through his spine "The behavior you three exhibit makes you look like traitors to humanity!" The boy flinched "Therefore, I'm going to have to decide how we should dispose of your lives! Try to pull any trick or leave that spot and you'll be eating explosives, we'll shoot without hesitation" Armin couldn't help but wonder if they were really threatening them. The blond watched as Kitz sighed "Are you human or Titan?"

_Silence_

Armin looked at Eren. His perplexed face spoke for himself. He did not understand either.

"I fail to understand the meaning of your question, Sir"

"Are you playing dumb? Goddamned Titan..." The world drowned out around Armin. All he could hear were muffled voices, not a single word understandable.

He understood. He really did. In fact, he himself was also scared. His fear was directed towards another reason though. He was not afraid of Eren. He has known the boy long enough to believe his actions were pure and pro-humanity. What he was scared of was this new discovery. It was a heavy bite to swallow. But he was willing to try, no matter what kind of risk he put himself to. He believed the reason he was like this was that he had faith in Eren, how could he not? He's been his friend for so long, protected him, he was his family. He realized that maybe if he wasn't his friend, he would be just as scared of Eren as Kitz was. Blaming the older man for his rash actions would be a hypocrite. Fear made people act in rather weird ways, especially when it was about a life or death situation as Weilman thought it was.

Only the sound of canons shooting got him out of his trance. He closed his eyes waiting for the unavoidable death they have been sentenced to.

It did not come, though.

The blond opened his eyes not quite believing the sight. Where were they exactly?

_Are we inside a Titan?_

"We... We aren't dead?" He turned to Mikasa. The air was hot, steaming hot "It's so hot, what are we doing inside this gigantic skeleton?" He waited for answers.

"It's Eren, he protected us, that's all we need to know"

_Of course._

Answers would not be given easily.

"Guys!" He looked as Eren made his way inside "Are you all right?" He asked, concern in his features.

"What is--"

"No idea!" Eren snapped. He seemed desperate, "This thing is gonna evaporate any second now! Like a Titan corpse would! We need to step away!" Panic rushed through his body. He knew if they moved, they would not hesitate to shoot for the second time.

_When would this nightmare come to an end?_

* * *

 

_A Titan boy, huh?_

As soon as he heard the news, Pyxis made his way to where Kitz was dealing with the situation. This was rather an interesting development, the older man thought. Something worth watching.

When he stepped in and heard one of the trainees speaking, he knew he was right. It was indeed a show to watch.

Watching as the kid spoke up for his life and his friends was something interesting. He made remarkable arguments and his judgment on the situation was beyond comparison. He observed as the small boy raised his voice to the superior for the sake of their dear life. The blond showed faith in human race, determination, and intellect. Last but not least, he had guts.

And Pyxis respected guts.

He reached for Kitz's arm as he was about to give the order to attack again.

"That's enough," He said, authority filling his voice "Brittle as a twig, as you've always been" chuckle "Didn't you see how beautiful of a salute that was?" He asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Commander Pyxis?" 

"I barely arrived him but I believe I'm catching up fast enough" He smirked "you take care of spearheading the reinforcements," He paused and stared at the trio in front of him. Such an interesting group, "As for me, something tells me that I would do well to listen what those three have to say"

And just like that, they four were standing at the top of the wall, watching down as the Titans tried to climb up the wall, failing miserably. 

Pyxis sighed.

"I wouldn't mind being eaten by one of those Titans if she happened to be a stunning beauty" He half-joked.

He waited for answers, and he got them. He was told of the answers that the basement at Shinganshina could probably hold, as well as the plan they had to get Trost back. He acknowledged the plan seemed well thought and even as some things could get out of hand, they really had nothing to lose.

"So," He started, after finishing hearing what the kids had to say "you believe going to the basement will answer all your questions?"

"Yes" After a while of silence, Eren continued "Sir, do you believe in me?"

He really thought before answering.

"For now" He cleared "I'll keep in mind everything for which you can't provide any positive proof by yourself, I believe that is the best course of action" He glanced at Armin "However, provided you intend to obtain material that could make sense out of this whole mess I shall personally see to the protection of you and your friends" He smiled as the trainees went speechless "Armin, was it?"

"Sir!" 

"You mentioned something earlier about how using some manner of this Titan power may help recapture Trost, do you really believe so or was it just some plea for your life?" He knew it was a tough question. He just wanted to see what the kid was made of.

He seemed to hesitate before answering "It was both" after answering, he proceeded to explain himself "What I meant back then is that the Titan form of Eren could carry that large rock all the way to the destroyed gate in order to block it," Everyone seemed to be staring at the blonde "Just a simple idea I came up with, I wanted to believe Eren powers could help is disentangle the situation, of course, I wanted to avoid execution but..."

_Not bad._

Pyxis moved, starling Arlert, and crouched in front of Eren.

"Can you close up that hole?"

He stood quietly for a second before saying; "I'll see to it, Sir! No matter what!" This gained a smirk on the Superior's face.

"Well said! Spoken like a true man!" He made his way to the edge of the wall "Call in the staff officers, we need to discuss a new strategy!" He turned back to the kids and waited for the other soldiers yet to come "We're racing against time. Move out young soldiers"

* * *

_Using Eren to stopper the hole? Are they out of their minds?_

As soon as Commander Smith had informed [Name] and Levi about the on-going mission, they had quickly retired to slay Titans, the girl keeping an eye out for is she caught sight of Jäger and the rest.

"Hey! Be careful!" She turned her head just to see a Titan lunging for her. Before she could react, she was pushed out of the way. She ended up crashing into a wall rather harshly, ending with a wrist sprain. She hissed in pain as she slammed against the ground. Her glance quickly was directed to Levi slaying the Titan that had just threatened her life. Once he was done he stood in front of her.

"Sorry" She replied, feeling a burning sensation in her throat. Keeping her voice looked up like this for such a long time was not a good idea. She could still remember the pain she felt after calling put Jean and Eren on their bickering.

She believed that if she had no distractions, she would be able to serve the military about right, so she became a loner. She never spoke, as she had no one to speak to and it was rather a loss of time. She trained after hours and her aura and self-become more serious and mature. The discipline held at the training camp helped in her development as a soldier. Her teamwork was not remarkable since communication was the key and that was something she lacked, but she excelled in all the other blocks, thanks to Levi's training. Of course, she maintained a low profile as she knew Levi would mostly force her into the brigade if she got to the top ten, as also she did not want to give away the extra abilities she has gotten for having the Titan power herself.

"Sorry does not cut it," The smaller man said, a scowl in his usual expressionless self. That was something she liked about her Papa. No matter how stoic Levi might be around others, whenever it became about her, he was willing to confide her all his feelings, showing from his most vulnerable side to the strongest. This gave [Name] the feeling that she could trust her Papa with her feelings as well, and even though she has practically become this expressionless loner inside the training camp, he was still Levi's delicate and sweet little girl. Even after three years of being separated, they both haven't changed at all, at least when the other one was around.

She smiled.

_How long has it been since I smiled?_

"I know. I'll be more careful" She conceded, not wanting to worry Levi more than he was already. She heard the man sigh as he rubbed his temple. Then it was her turn to get annoyed, a frown in her face "Hey, you could've died saving me too" She spat, hurt by the idea of losing the only father figure she's had all her life.

"The point was saving you, brat," He said and shrugged off. [Name] stood up, wounds already cured thanks to her quick healing factor.

"You are really important to the military. You can not just risk your life for a trainee like me, that's stupid" She spat rather harshly and mad.

"You're not just another trainee, you're my daughter" He snapped "Did you just call me stupid?" He asked, anger evident in his tone.

"Yes"

"Apologize"

"Sorry," She said, really regretful. She did not mean it that way, but the idea of Levi dying was too much. He was about all the family she has ever had and probably will ever have.

Levi sighed, anger long gone; "I'm sorry for snapping at you too"

"No," [Name] replied, guilt filling her chest "It was okay, I was being rude... Just... Papa?" Levi glanced up and nodded, expecting the girl to continue "Don't sacrifice yourself for me, okay? And I won't sacrifice myself for your"

Levi stood quietly for a second.

"I'll think about it" He finally said.

"We need to tell Erwin," She said, changing the subject and arising anger once again within Levi.

"No"

"Tell"

"No"

"Pap--"

"I said no!" He snapped again, annoyed. [Name] stared at him as he started ranting "I won't jeopardize your life just so Erwin can get the answers he wants, I won't let you go through the experimentations Hange will most probably put you through"  

"They need answers" [Name] insisted, but Levi would not even budge.

"And I need you alive. I don't care if I'm risking humanity sake by it, which I am not since they have the other boy to experiment on"

"Selfish"

"And what if I am?" He said, his voice breaking at the end, which surprised the girl "I’ve given my life for Humanity for more years than I can remember, I’ve given everything and I’ve lost everything, and now that I you I am not willing to risk it" He had a point, he did, and [Name] could totally understand it. He believed that if she was in her Papa's position she would be the same.

But she wasn't.

For the moment, she would agree, even if she found it wrong; "I understand" She replied simply.

"Good" Levi replied and that was the end of the conversation. They were about to move on when they watched a red flare flying through the sky. They both stared silently as it made it's way across the blue skies.

Something went wrong.

"What could it be?" Levi wondered out-loud, his expressionless face back in place. Same for [Name] as her quiet and stoic self-came back. 

_Daughter and Papa moment is gone._

She started running to the opposite side of the street, standing in the intersection of streets. She watched as Levi observed confused until realization dawned in his eyes, flashing anger.

"Don't you dare" He shouted, getting his swords out and pointing them at her as he walked closer. He knew if he moved close enough she would not transform as she would not risk hurting him.

_Good thing he is not close enough._

[Name] bit her lip drawing blood and she instantly felt the shift happening. She felt as the became taller and a whole body created on her own. Describing it has never been easy, she's always thought of it as another way to be born. It was unexplainable really.

Once she was fully transformed into a Titan, she looked down a Levi who was glaring daggers at her. Even in her Titan form, she still felt intimidated by the smaller man, being since he was her father. She nodded before taking off running, listening as Levi yelled after her in annoyance.

She ran to where the red flare was slowly dissipating and once she did, making sure she was hidden for the other cadets not to see her, she saw the problem.

Jäger was laying faceless against the rock.

She sighed internally.

_How weak._

A smell made her nose flared. She recognized that smell from the expedition she has gone first with Levi and the description soldier Zacharias had given her some years ago.

Titans.

She got out of her hiding spot listening as the soldiers gasped, and before they could do anything she got her hammer out and started slaying down Titans.

_Mission was to protect Jäger._

And so she did. Slaying any Titan that even dared to glance at Jäger's way. She was ending the remaining when she felt wires attaching to her flesh.

This was no good. 

She listened as the wired retracted and she felt her arm being attacked by the blades. She really did not want to hurt any cadet, she was unable to, at least in her Titan form, she just couldn't. She felt as they finished cutting her arm out and she hissed in pain internally, a roar being heard by the outsiders.

"I'm going to kill you" She listened to the familiar voice of Ian said. She moved out of the way as he shoots the wires, that instead of attaching themselves to the Titan, got attached to a building, making him crash into the wall. She was quickly targeted by the rest of the soldiers, but she pushed them off, trying to not hurt them much. She glanced to see Arlert talking trying to talk Jäger out of his insanity, also noticing near Titans making their way. As soon as [Name] got the other soldiers off her back, she slammed her foot against a Titan kicking it away, and she did so for a while until she was attacked by four fifteen-meter class abnormals. She roared in pain as they were ending her until it suddenly stopped. She glanced and looked as Ackerman dealt with them.

She watched as her slim figure moved to slay Titans, in a way, reminding her of Levi. Once she was done she stood at top of a building and stared deep into the black pits.

"Thank you," She said "Whoever you are" And she went away.

[Name] laid on the floor, waiting for her body to recuperate before continue helping. It was then and there that she watched Jäger get up from the ground and making his way to carrying the rock with his arms. He roared in pain as the rock crushed him slowly, but still, he continued to make his way to the hole.

_Not so weak after all._

The Titan nodded in approval. Once she was completely healed she got up and noticed no other soldier was targeting her. She believed Ackerman had something to do about it, and she thanked her. 

She hid in-between some buildings and got out of her Titan. It's been so long since she transformed into a Titan, her muscles were sore and she felt heavyweight. She started making her way to were the hole was, leaving her Titan shell behind. If anyone were to find it they would think somebody killed it. She ran, using her speed, and stopped to contemplate the scene right in front of her.

Jäger, with the strength he had left, plugged the hole with the rock he has been carrying, a roar echoing around. Only then did they all realize that finally, they have won. Eren emerged from the Titan and his friends were quick to stand by their side. It was quite delightful to watch.

_Weak._

She watched as a horde of Titans made their way to the trio. [Name] got her blades ready to attack when as quick as a flash, a slim figure started cutting through the nape flesh of every Titan around.

She just smiled warmly to herself as she watched Levi standing on some Titan's head as the trio looked up at him in awe. Then, all of the members of the Survey Corps were standing around Jäger's Titan's shell. 

[Name] sniffed before being jumped by one of the Survey Corps members. She looked at the unknown face as he dragged her out of her hiding place. 

 _"_ I found her hiding and staring, I believe she'll be good at court" The girl growled. He took the hint and let go of her wrist. She hissed and then turned to look at the death glares Ackerman was throwing her way. She ignored them in favor of looking at Levi who had narrowed his eyes at his fellow comrade.

"I don't think this trainee will be necessary," He said curtly and the [s/c]-skinned girl stared.

"I think she will" Said Commander Smith, as he stepped into the scene "If she was spying, then I believe she might have seen something in our favor" He explained as he glanced at [Name] and back to Levi who was staring daggers at this point.

"Fine" He conceded.

* * *

 

"We apologize Eren," A woman said. She was standing next to a much taller man, both standing out of Eren's cell "Sorry to keep you waiting for so long; But on the bright side, it seems like you'll be able to get out of here soon!"

He barely could remember the things that happened last day. Most of what he remembered was Armin talking to him. Also, waking up already chained in the cell, with Commander Erwin and Corporal Levi standing outside his cell observing him, and a short conversation that proceded afterward.

He was finally let out of that cell, though his hands were still handcuffed to one another.

"I'm Scouting Legion, Hange Zoë, a squad leader" She presented herself as the three, and two other soldiers were walking down the halls of court. Eren got startled when the tallest out of the five started sniffing near Eren, invading what was left of his personal space.

"Excuse me?" He asked and glanced at a rather awkward Hange.

"He's squad leader Mike Zacharias," She paused before continuing "he tends to do this to everybody on the first meeting," she said with a small smile "smelling people is his habit"

They finally made it to a pair of wooden doors. As far as the green-eyed boy was concerned, his destiny was at the mercy of the judge at the other side of those doors. He listened to Hange as she cleared her throat.

"Just tell them what's on your mind, Eren" She smiled strangely "It may be presumptuous of us, but, we can only have faith in you" and with those words, the tanned boy was inside the court watching at all the people that had gathered to present his verdict.

He was then dragged to his knees in the middle of the room, and handcuffed to a post behind his back. He sat awkwardly as he observed the room watching some familiar faces that included; The head of the Military Police, Commander Pyxis, Commander Erwin, Corporal Levi and...

_What are Armin and Mikasa doing here?_

His focus changed to the man sitting on the stand as he started the case.

"Eren Jäger, correct?" The boy nodded and the judge continued "And you're a soldier sworn to sacrifice your life for the cause if need be, is that right?"

"Yes, Sir"

"The usual law practices are inapplicable to you," The judge explained "as you are a special case. The Military Council is now in order and the sole right to pass judgment on you rest with me" There was a pause "I shall decide your life and death, here and now, objections?"

Eren gulped nervously before answering "None, Sir"

"Glad we have your understanding," He said "to put it shortly, we're here to decide in which Military division you will be entrusted to, either The Military Police or The Survey Corps" Eren glanced at both groups before the judge gave word to Nile Dawk.

"We believe that this disposal is in order once the thorough research or Eren's body is concluded" The green-eyed boy blinked at the statement "We shall try to get all the information possible from this species as it will also solve the problems that he had caused outside, as some people believe him as a hero whilst other think the contrary, which has led to an inclination to a civil war between the citizens" Eren stared as he couldn't quite grasp what he was going at "I acknowledge that he helped with recuparating Trost as I also acknowledge his existemce is far from harmless, for which we had decided we want to gain information out of him"

Nick, a pastor of the church started interjecting when the judge paused his rant and gave the word to Commander Erwin,

"We officially ask Eren to join us" Eren's head snapped to look at the Commander "we might use this power to help us return wall Maria back to the human race, that's all" Eren stared surprised at the short statement of the Commander.

There were a few comments here and there about the Walls and outburst made by Pastor Nick. This was quietened down by the judge and it was decided to proceed with the case.

"I have a question for you," Said the judge, directly to Eren "It seems there is hope for you to join the Survey Corps, as a soldier that you've been up until now, do you really believe that you can put that 'Titan Power' of yours in good use?"

"Yes, I do, Sir" No hesitation.

"Oh," Something felt off immediately, "The recent report on the mission to plug the gap on the wall says 'Following his transformation, he swung his fist three times aiming for Mikasa Ackerman'" Eren snapped his head at his friend as she glanced away "Is Mikasa Ackerman present?"

"Yes, Sir" She nodded while looking at the judge.

"Is it true that Eren attacked you?" The tension in the room was ice-breaking. Silence engulfed the room as everyone expectantly waited for Mikasa to say her statement.

She seemed to hesitate before answering "Yes, it is true" the court got full of whispers and critics but before they could proceed to something more she added; "Before that, in his Titan form he helped fight off Titans and even saved mine and Armin's life when they were about to shot at us" She nodded "These facts are also true and I would like them to take them into consideration"

"I acknowledge these facts" Nile said, interrupting Mikasa "But I believe you are not being objective, and I believe I know why" He shifted the papers in his hands "It seems like these two were only nine when they stabbed three adult robbers to death" The green-eyed boy started to sweat cold.

Whispers filled the rooms once again, but this time, they were not only directed to the boy standing at the middle of the court, if not, also at his friend, accusing her of being a monster and more atrocious accusations, that in the end, they were all fake.

"I might be a monster," Eren snapped recalling the attention back to him "but Mikasa has nothing to fo with that! And you know what?" He continued "All you did so far is speculating one-sidedly and takin guesses that are convenient for you, nevertheless you won't get close to the truth is you all disregard how things really are" He finished and once again people started whispering.

He was mad.

_These cowards._

 

"And besides," He continued "what are you all afraid of? You've never seen a Titan before, what are you going to do if the strong stop fighting for you? If you say you're scared to fight for the survival of your own, at least let the strong fight for you, you gutless cowards" He muttered the latter before yelling; "Stop the fuss already and just invest all you've got in me!"

The courtroom went silence. He watched as everyone stared at him. He saw Nile about to say something, but before a word could slip out of his mouth, Eren got kicked right in the face by a hard boot. He felt as blood fell from his mouth and watched as one of his teeth went flying. He then got beaten up again and again by who he acknowledged being Corporal Levi. 

He could see Mikasa from the corner of his eyes being detained by Armin. After a while, he finally stopped, laying one of his foot on his head.

"This is just my opinion" He stated "But when it comes to teaching discipline I believe pain is the most effective way" stared at Eren, a sadistic gleam in his eyes "What he needs is not a lecture, but a practical lesson, besides, you're an easy target now that you're crouching" He said before continuing to beat up the younger of them both. The whole room stared in silence.

"A lot is uncertain about Eren's power," Commander Erwin chimed in "in the case Eren is put under our watch, Corporal Levi will be able to take countermeasures if they need to" 

"Oh? What does this mean specifically if I may ask Corporal Levi?" The judge asked the Corporal simply shrugged,

"If we're talking about killing this monster," He said flinching as he glanced at some point in the crowd. Eren's eyes shifted curiously watching Commander Smith, but then realizing the Corporal was not staring at the Commander if not at the one at his side.

_What is [Name] doing here?_

She had the same expressionless face as always, and she seemed to be staring back at the Corporal as though they both were talking through their eyes. Eren found himself confused at the situation.

"I trust in my ability to do so, the problem is that no option in between exists," He said as he threw a quick glance at Mikasa who was staring daggers at him.

"Looks like a decision has been made, let me pass judgment, then" He cleared his throat before saying "Eren Jäger is to put into the Survey Corps, however, he is to return here depending on the Shinganshina's Mission result" the case was about to close when the Corporal cleared his throat.

"I'd like to have an early acquisition of my squad," Levi said as the rest looked curiously at him. As the judge signaled him to proceed he continued; "I'd like to trainee [Name][L. Name] since during Trost she was a reliable comrade and I believe she has abilities beyond comparison and I believe she would be a great help to keep Eren at bay"

It was an understatement to say everyone was surprised. Eren looked around the room just to see [Name] sporting the same expressionless face as always. Not a single emotion on her features. She just stared at the corporal. In contrast, there were a lot of other emotions, for example, Mikasa's angry face, or Armin's confused frown, but the weirdest of them all being Commander Erwin's grin.

The judge seemed to think through as he eyed the Captain with uncertainty, trying to figure out if his words were just a joke or he was serious. After a while of silence, he stated; "It is your squad, you may do as you please" Levi smiled and walked out of the room without further to say.

It was later that he was sitting on the sofa of an unknown room. Present with him, were Commander Erwin, Squad Leaders Mike and Hange, Corporal Levi and most surprisingly [Name]. He eyed her suspiciously until he felt the glare Corporal Levi was sending his way.

"[Name]" He said, the other cadet only nodding at the mention of her name "What are you doing here?" He asked, rather annoyed "Weren't you too busy calling people out of being reckless and coward?" He stared daggers at her, as she simply shrugged "Weren't you the one who ran away during Trost? Does not that make you a coward?"

"Hey," Corporal said, anger arising when he was interrupted by a raspy, croaky voice.

"See yourself at courtroom?" [Name] snapped, surprising the superiors except for Levi, and pointed a finger accusingly at him "That's what I meant when I said you were too reckless, they would have gotten your head if it weren't for Corporal Levi beating you to pulp and demonstrating how weak you actually are, which at least helped to get your custody" She finished, venom in every single word she sputtered.

The atmosphere was rather awkward. Until Hange spoke up;

"I can see why you like her Levi; she's got a sharp tongue, though I must say I never thought of you to go for the younger lasses," She said as she wiggled her eyebrows as Eren stared wide-eyed at the pair. The Corporal glared at her while Mike stifled a silent laugh.

"You" Said the Corporal as he pointed a finger at Eren "Be careful of what you say otherwise I'll have to consider letting the Military Police dissect you" He said rather harshly, calming down a bit when [Name] gently patted his back, nodding at him, and glaring back at Eren.

Eren gulped.

"Nice to meet you Eren" Interrupted Erwin before anything could escalate to a worst case scenario "Let's get along shall we?" He asked one of his signature smirks on. Eren took hold of his hand while replying;

"Nice you meet you too, Sir"

"Say Eren," Corporal Levi said while he plopped down next to him on the coach rather harshly "Do you hate me?" He asked and Eren stared.

"No" he stuttered "I understand the act you had to put up needed to be believable" He stared at the Corporal as he nodded. 

He understood, yes, even if he hated to admit it, it was just like [Name] had said. The fact that he was demonstrated to be weak and vulnerable to the Corporal's attack showed he was not as harmful as they thought he was which gained some points in his favor, and eventually led them to win the custody of him.

If he was being honest though, he was quite glad he was part of the Survey Corps, as that was his main goal since a long time ago. He felt as if he just achieved something and felt as proud as he knew maybe this was a new hope for Humanity, a new ray of sunlight. Despite this, he couldn't help but keep on wondering.

He stared at [Name] and she stared back at him with her [e/c]-colored orbs. he felt a chill creep up his spine as she pierced holes into his soul, as though as he was trying to read him. If he was being honest, [Name] has always been an intimidating cadet, but something about this atmosphere between the three, including Levi, made an alarming bell ring inside Eren's head. As if she was hiding something. Probably hiding the real answer to his question.

_What is she doing here?_

"There are limits though," Hange said as she crouched in front of Eren "you knocked out one of his teeth!" She said as she forced open Eren's jaw.

"It'll grow back, eventually" Levi replied bored as Erwin sent him a suspicious glare. Eren was also staring at the Corporal until Hange gasped.

"'Eventually' seems to be closer than I expected, his tooth is already back" She stared in awe as Eren frowned confusedly. Everyone ignorant of the shared look between the Corporal and the other trainee.

Eren kept on wondering.

_What was the extent of his powers if there was a limit?_

_At all?_

 


	6. Special Operations Squad

"The former HQ of the Survey Corps it's nothing more than a remodeled old castle, though, fitting to be called Headquarters only in appearance" Petra rolled her eyes in annoyance as she heard Oruo chatting off one of the new cadet's ear. She sighed; as much as he appreciated her comrade she could not help it but detest the man at times "In reality" The man continued "The fact that the HQ was located in a place like this, miles away from the river and the wall simply shows that they deemed the Scouting Legion an unneeded and used division" He sighed "In the beginning they only paid lip service to us, but to think that this overblown decoration called our HQ would actually become in handu some day as the most suitable prision to hold you in" The female cadet had to abstain herself from facepalming, "Life's funny that way," He shrugged off.

Petra watched as the green-eyed boy looked back at Corporal Levi, who was riding in front of her, head to head with the other graduated trainee. She glanced at him too, seeing as he was quite busy to notice the other boy's glance. She looked down to watch his foot kicking the other cadet's and getting the same as a reply. The continued their footsie game for quite a while, Petra watching curiously until the Corporal finally took hold of the Titan-shifter's gaze, stopping his game completely. The brunette supposed he sent a menacing glare to the boy since he was quick to return his gaze to the front. Petra sighed and continued watching after her team.

"Corporal" She called out for Levi. The man in question turned slightly to look at her, once again stopping at yet another footsie game. He nodded at the female graduate before lowering his mare's peace to ride next to Petra. 

The man silently nodded in acknowledgment and an expectant look on his face as he waited for his female comrade to talk. She gulped; not quite knowing why she had called him out in the first place, still, she decided to go with the first question that came to mind.

"Are you sure of this?" She asked in respect to letting the titan-shifter into the team, and not only him but the other graduate. She failed to understand quite exactly what they were doing here; the boy she could slightly get an idea, but the girl was something she did not get the grasp of. 

It was true this squad is also known as "Levi's Squad" for the reason that everyone on this team had been specifically hand picked by the Corporal. If she was being honest, she felt quite annoyed that this girl, who's barely known the Corporal and has only fought during Trost's catastrophe, was immediately added to the team without a second thought, while she had trained hard for years for the Corporal to notice her drive and actually add her into the squad. What made this situation even weirder was that Commander Erwin was not against this; not that it was of his concern since it is Levi's team. 

She shook her thoughts away as she hard the Corporal's reply.

"Are you doubting my ability to make decisions, Ral?" He asked monotone, a thin eyebrow raised.

Petra flushed almost immediately, and nodded her head in denial as she quickly cleared herself "Of course not Corporal, I just found it weird to have acquisitions to the squad. For the boy I can understand we do not have much of a choice, as for the girl, I do think it's a bit premature of a choice" She said voice her thoughts, ignorant of the uproar he caused inside the Corporal.

"So?" He snapped bitterly, surprising Petra in her place. She gulped at the thought of making the Corporal annoyed and tried to explain herself.

"What I try to say, is, she lacks experience--"

"And, so?" He interrupted annoyed "She was reliable during Trost and she was quite useful in the slaughtering of Titans. She was talented and forged for the job, so why not have that of a cadet in the squad?" Petra frowned at the response.

"Well, yes," She thought careful as to what she was going to say next "but that was a one-time thing, what makes you think she'll survive once outside the walls?" She asked.

Levi stood silently before replying slyly "Because she's in our squad" 

Before Petra could say anything else, their conversation was interrupted by Oruo's voice.

"Don't get cocky, kid" Petra grimaced at the way he stood closer to the boy as he was trying to adopt an intimidating stance "Titan-power or whatever, but just because Corporal Levi was put in charge of supervising a piss-poor brat such as you--" He was not given a chance before his horse halted, making him bite his tongue.

One would've thought it was merely an accident, but being right behind them pretty much showed the contrary. She watched how as Oruo was bad mouthing the young lad, his fellow comrade was quick to kick the older man's mare's rear, making her jump in pain, ending purposely on Oruo bitting his tongue. The older man glanced back at the trainee, trying to menace her unsuccessfully as she stared back and growled, making Oruo shiver as turn back front.

To say she was stunned by such actions was quite an understatement. That was certainly a lack of respect for her superior; of course, the man had it coming, so there was not much to it. She glanced at Levi hoping he would have been ignorant of the act so the [h/c] haired girl could get out of the possible punishment she would get. Instead of an irritated glare, though, she was found with the rare sight of the Corporal smiling slightly, his features softening, and his usually narrow eyes, gleaming. She stared in disbelief at the man beside her; and back at the trainee. 

"Corporal" Petra called out once more, softly. Much to her dismay, the Corporal's trance was quickly broken as he glanced back at Petra with those cold eyes of him, much as if he hadn't noticed the change in his features.

He quirked an eyebrow; "More complains, Ral?"

Petra shook her head respectfully "No, just wanted to ask about the graduates" She said earnestly smiling at the man. He eyed her suspiciously before answering;

"The boy is Eren Jäger, ex-trainee of the 104th squad, who ended fifth-ranked in between the top ten" He explained as Petra nodded "He was in Shinganshina when the Colossal broke down Wall Maria" The female gasped as she felt an overwhelming pity running through her.

"And her?" She asked while nodding her head to the other female, who was preoccupied in a stare-down with Eren, it seemed. 

Levi's features soften slightly once again; "[Name][L.Name]" He answered, something different in his tone "She was in the same trainee squad as Eren, she... There's not much information about the background" He shrugged, and for some odd reason, Petra did not believe him. Still, she let it slide, another question popping into her head.

"What number did she rank?" She asked in curiosity "If she's as good as to get into the team so early after graduating she must surely be between the ten bests, if not the first" She said honestly.

The Corporal looked uncomfortable and actually looked away sheepishly before answering; "She didn't rank"

"She didn't?" Petra stared confused at the Captain as he scoffed and decided to ignore whatever his companion had to say. She sighed as she looked back at the two graduates still busy in their stare down.

She smiled.

"They look to get along quite well right?" Though she meant this is a nice manner, the Corporal narrowed his eyes at the tanned boy and quickly made his way next to [Name], joining the stare down and beating Eren in seconds, making the boy turn away from him and the other cadet.

She stared as he and [Name] shared a look before looking back front, not long after playing with their feet again. The older female sighed as she decided to leave her thoughts for later as they continued making their way to the HQ. Once they got there, they quickly handled the mares into the stables and she accompanied Oruo next to the well for him to be able to clean his mouth. She shook her head.

"A bitten tongue is precisely what you get for chatting away while riding a horse," She said as she stared at the man who was crouched, a bucket in front as he got a handful of water and washed off the blood. She waited for him to finish for a reply.

"First impressions make it or break it baby" Petra flinched at the way he dragged the last word "That shitty kid got scared out of his pants for a bitten tongue," He said in quite a rude manner. The hazel-eyed female glanced at Eren as he was petting his mare, and obviously listening into the conversation.

"I think he was just shocked to see how much of a dumbass you are Oruo," She said, and to be honest, she too was when they first met.

"Whatever," He said as he cleaned off his mouth with his cloak "It changes nothing, anyway"

"Look," Petra stared in a scolding yet awkward manner "you used to talk in the normal way in the past didn't you?" She questioned "If you adopted that manner of speech in your attempt to imitate Corporal Levi, stop, seriously, you're nothing alike" The woman finished rather harshly.

The man simply sighed and rolled his eyes in annoyance "While is the other kiddo allowed to have this menacing and intimidating aura filled with growls and such and not get scowled?" He asked admitting his fault. He expected no answer, though, as he proceeded "Stop trying to boss me around Petra. Don't tell me I forgot us getting hitched for you to be acting as my wife, babe?" She was sure her eyes would pop out of her sockets.

"Aren't you getting a little too big for your boots just because the Corporal chose you?" She questioned ignoring the pet name and scoffed "You should've bitten that tongue of yours off and died"

"Even as a joke, it is not funny to wish death on your brother-in-arms, baby" Petra gave up on the man knowing he was much likely a hopeless case. Instead, she followed Corporal Levi as he made his way to the front door of the castle along Gunther and Eld.

"The building is a bit desolated since it wasn't in use for a long time," Eld said and the smaller of the three sighed.

"This is gonna be a big problem" He narrowed his eyes at the door "Get to work, then on the double" He ordered and just like that everyone came in cleaning the inside.

Petra broomed the first floor quite expertly as he already knew how Corporal Levi liked his cleanness, not in the mood to face his wrath. Actually, never in the mood for his fits. She thought she was doing a good job until she watched as [Name] trailed right behind, brooming as well. The older female caught her glance and raised her eyebrow. As a response, she only got a shrug as the younger finished off the room and walked away leaving Petra hanging alone. She stared at the space the [e/c]-eyed girl last stood before shaking her head and making her way to another room. 

While she was walking through the corridors, she listened to a conversation between Eren and the Corporal.

"Another dungeon?" She heard Eren ask quite pitiful.

Oh, this must be about the rooming. She thought as she continued listening.

"Of course," Levi said before explaining "You can not exactly control yourself after all. If you turn into a Titan in your sleep" He said with a hint of doubt "at least in the dungeon we'll be able to restrain you" He said and she could just wander the expression on the kid's face "That was one of the conditions that we had to accept when you were released to us" He sighed "The rules that we must hold up"

There was a silent as Petra neared the room. She watched as Levi climbed the stairs stating he would be checking the rooms Eren already cleaned. She stopped at the doorway, wondering if she would enter and try to console the boy or follow the Corporal. After brief thought, she decided for the latter.

She climbed the steps and stopped as she heard an unknown voice talking.

"No," It said quite demanding. She could only guess it was [Name]'s, to be honest, it came as a surprise how deep and raspy her voice was, and if that was not enough, the way in dripped with authority was quite menacing in its own way.

"There's nothing I can do about it" She heard the Corporal say as if he was expecting such an answer; the thing Petra wondered was what exactly they were talking about. She wanted to get out of her hiding spot an ask, but she found herself unable to, as it seemed to be a private conversation, and yet she found herself unable to stop eavesdropping.

"Levi," The younger female growled, surprising Petra as how casual her speech was whilst talking to the Corporal, and what made it even weirder was the Corporal not putting up a fight for it, instead, letting it slip and exhaling.

"I know" Petra frowned at the soft tone on Levi's voice "but rules are rules, if we want to keep Eren safe he must stay at the dungeon" The older female nodded her head as she now knew what they were debating, but she did not quite understand why they were talking about it, at all.

_Does it bother her to keep Eren at the dungeon?_

"I'll sleep there too," she said nonchalantly. Petra wondered why she was so defensive of her comrade, she could understand that they've been training for three years and they probably had a friendship, but under the circumstances, objectiveness was needed.

"No. You and he have different stances" Levi snapped, irritation slipping through his words. Petra heard the man sigh "Seriously, I don't get why you're so defensive of this, Kitten" The older female tilted her head at the pet name. Levi kept raising his voice "We must keep him restrained before he causes any tro--" He quickly cut himself off and the brunette blinked. She turned peeked through the corner.

It was quite the sight, to say the least. The Corporal had his hand raised, brushing his fingers softly through [Name]'s hair, and accommodate a strand of hair behind her ear, his face scrunching up in an emotion Petra could not identify at the moment. The younger lass looked down at the male as much as if someone had stabbed her.

"Sorry" was the apology the Corporal uttered, and once said, Petra snapped from her trance and had her head back in place, hidden behind the wall. 

There were no any more words after that, instead, quick steps were heard as they made their way to the stairs. The brunette walked down the steps carefully as to not make sound and entered rather abruptly into the room where Eren was cleaning. He looked curiously as Petra started brooming the floor.

Not long after her entrance, the Corporal entered the room, startling both Petra and Eren. 

"You should thank [Name] for cleaning off the mess you left upstairs," He said curtly and the boy looked down embarrassedly at his feet. She watched as the Corporal was about to make his way out until he stopped and eyed at Eren before sighing; "I-" He cleared his throat, clearly conflicted with what he was about to say "[Name] has a spare bed in her room" He said as he clenched his jaw in dissatisfaction.

 _Wait, is he letting him sleep at an actual chamber?_  Petra wondered surprised as she stopped brooming to look at the unfolding scene.

Eren had a look of disbelief in his eyes as the Corporal continued talking "I decided it'll be her who will check up on you, making sure you sleep at the dungeon, she'll lock you and unlock you, I'll inform the others she's the one in charge of making sure you sleep at the dungeon, that if she does not forget you must sleep down there" He said as he glanced back at the stairs.

"Sir., what exactly do you mean by that?" Eren asked surprised.

"Whatever you want it to mean" He shrugged off as he was about to walk off.

"Wait, Levi--"

"I'm Corporal Levi and keep it Ral," He said looking fiercely and Petra. The woman shrank under his gaze and continued brooming the room in silence.

"You better not do any funny business, Jäger" Levi spat untrustful of the boy. The older woman watched as he flushed from the neck up and he stuttered to respond. Once the Corporal got his reply, he turned on his heels and went off, not coming nor stopping anymore.

During the time that was left, she learned some things about [Name]. She discovered the girl had quirks rather similar to the Corporal. She was a clean freak. She had this stoic expression all the time, that did not show serenity if not indifference. Even at a young age and being a subordinate, she had this intimidating and authoritative stance to wherever you saw her. She was similar to the Corporal in so many ways it was rather interesting. She watched the interactions between the two. There were more words from Levi than from the girl, meaning she uttered exactly no words, yet there was something about the aura that surrounded them that made it seem as if they were not comrades.

 _They look like father and daughter_. 

She thought but quickly shook the thought away as she saw it was already late and the Headquarters were pretty much already done. She walked through the halls until she reached the Dining room, where Eld, Gunther, and Oruo were already seated.

She made her way to the table and took a seat next to Eld and in front of Ouro. There was a silence settle around the room that no one seemed to be breaking soon, so instead of staying quiet she conveyed some of her thoughts;

"Don't you think having recent graduates in the squad is rather rash?" She asked waiting for anyone to reply. Of course, that anyone was none other than Oruo, who Petra rolled her eyes at.

"Of course, what was the Captain thinking? That girl has nowhere near the experience we had" He said quite highly. Something she could not deny since it was something she had thought too.

"I don't think so," Said Eld from beside Petra, serving himself some tea in the cup that was standing in front of him "If the Captain decided she must be part of the team so soon, she must have had some outstanding performance during the training camp" He shrugged.

"She did not qualify for the top ten" Petra chimed again, gaining the glances of her three comrades taken aback from such a comment "She wasn't exactly the best trainee, it seems, so the question is, what exactly is she doing here?" She said slowly making sure the three men heard her question.

She did not know why she was so drawn into knowing why she had entered the Legion so soon and why her relationship with the Corporal was rather distinct. Guilty as charged, it irked her curiosity.

"Petra," finally Gunther started after a long silence "What exactly are you trying to say? Whatever the Captain chose to do, is his team after all, even if I do agree with you in the rashness of his decision we have no say whatsoever over this, so it's better to just let it be" 

"Honestly," Oruo said once again "I don't know why we are talking about that graduate when obviously the Titan boy is at the top list of our troubles" Petra listened as Oruo talked "all that kid is, is trouble" He sighed, completely ignorant of the two presences that had quietly entered the room, Eld tried to tell him to cut it out, but Oruo was stuck up in his dialogue "He's a monster and we must keep him controled before que goes berserk on us, because if he does, I'll kill him without a second thought" He finished rather darkly.

The room was quiet as the two graduates stood at the door. Both of them looking incredibly furious, one more than another, as the other one mixed it with sadness. After Oruo acknowledged their presence he scoffed and drank his tea peacefully. That was until [Name] made her way to him, fuming. She gripped the man from the jacket and yanked him up to throw him to the floor, settling a foot on his face. No one dared to do anything as they watched in shock how the younger girl beat the lights out of Oruo.

"Respect," She said in a growl as she kicked the man's shins, he adopting a fetal position as he grabbed his shin in agony "comrades deserve respect, Jäger is a comrade, Jäger deserves respect" She said as she stepped her heavy boots on Oruo's stomach, getting all his air out from his lungs "If words don't work, pain will" She said as she put her boot at Oruo's cheek holding him in place as if he were some slave.

Finally, the Corporal entered the room and glanced at the scene. He made quick eye contact with the girl before nodding at her. She yanked Oruo to his feet and brushed him off before setting him down on his seat. He nodded at Eren to sit down and he took place next to Oruo, who surprisingly enough was not a bleeding mess, and [Name] took a seat next to a rather uneasy Petra.

Everyone stared at Levi expecting him to say something on the matter. Probably scold her or even punish her. But he said and did nothing. Instead, he looked rather troubled as he saw the last seat at the end of the table where Eld and Gunther were at. He glanced to the female graduate before sighing and taking a seat in between the two soldiers. The cadets were still watching expectantly.

"Are you not going to scold her?" Oruo said as he rubbed his belly. Irritation was evident and Petra could not blame the man.

"You probably had it coming" Levi replied whilst he served himself tea and the room went quiet once again, the only sound audible being the faint slurps the Captain gave to his tea before setting the cup down on the table.

They continued staring at the smaller man as he ignored the looks coming his way. Petra sighed as she knew they would not be getting anything out of Levi. She rubbed her temples as she tried to get her irritation to cool off. There was a favoritism. Even if the other men did not see it, there it was. Petra knew it and she was sure Levi knew it, and he simply did not care. 

The room was kept quiet until Eld finally decided to speak up;

"Though we're under orders to stand by for a few more says," He started, Petra inclining to the side to listen to her comrade "I heard that a large-scale expedition to the outer lands is being prepared" The woman gasped in surprise as she was ignorant of said expedition "And in addition," He continued "Freshly graduated recruits will join us in it" 

There was a scoff from the opposite side of the table and she glanced at Oruo and Gunther "That's too sudden" Said, Gunther, as he crossed his arms "Not to mention that those new recruits have just survived the Titans' attack the other day" He stared at the table in sympathy and Petra nodded in agreement.

She rolled her eyes when Oruo spoke up "I bet they were shocked paralyzed at the time" He snickered, but quickly sank in his seat as the girl next to Petra sent him a menacing glare his way, shutting him up.

Petra was quite surprised that there was anyone who could be able to intimidate Oruo, other than Captain Levi himself. She sighed, as she still believed her actions where quite disrespectful to their superiors and that she should try to restrain herself, though she could understand her defensiveness for her comrades, in the end, they've been together for three years, it would not be weird they've developed a friendship, even if the female graduate did not seem like a friendly person.

She couldn't stay quiet anymore and chimed in "Is that true about the expedition, Lev-- I mean, Corporal?" She shivered as she remembered the hard glare sent her way after calling the Captain by his name instead of his title. 

The man sighed as he set his arm behind the back of his chair and took a long sip of his teacup

"Strategizing does not fall under my responsibility" He explained flatly, and stared inside the cup "it's up to him to decide. he always thinks a few more steps ahead than us" Even without his name, everybody came to know he was talking about Commander Smith, being as he was the one in charge of that branch.

"True," Started Eld once again "The situation has changed. The route for Wall Maria's recovery we paid great sacrifices to establish is gone just like that" He frowned before smirking slightly "But at the same time the new hope unlike anything before has appeared out of the blue" 

Everone glanced at Eren, a cutting tension swarming through the room. Everybody had clashing ideas and opinions in respect to Eren's abilities and his use inside the military. While some, such as Eld, thought of him as a New Hope and the possible hero for humanity, some other, like Oruo, believed that having him will most likely bring trouble. In spite of the clashing opinions, they were all obliged to protect him, unless he put humanity in jeopardy.

Seeing as his statement caused troubled, he chimed in again; "I still can believe it, but," He chuckled faintly "How does it feel to become a Titan?" 

[Name]'s bored expression quickly dissipated into one of interest, something new for the woman sitting across from her, since she did not express much other than menace and anger, at least for the while she had met her.

"My memories of the times when I transformed are not exactly reliable" He explained, nothing anyone at the table didn't already know "Well, anyways," He proceeded "It's something similar to bring in feverish state, and in order to transform I must injure myself so I bite my hand and..." He cut himself off, a puzzled expression winning over his face. They all started as he gazed at the hand he had raised for a demonstration.

Levi interrupted the trance "You should all be aware of this already," He sighed "You won't get anything new out of him other than what's already written in the reports" he accommodated himself on his seat as he sported his bored expression "Oh, well," He looked at Eren as he spoke "That won't stop her from trying, though, I'm sure" He shook his head "Her monkeying around might be the death of you, Jäger"

Being as everyone, even the female graduate, seemed to know who he was referring to, they all sighed in annoyance, while Eren just stared confused at the rest of the people surrounding him.

“Her?” And just as he did, the doors on the other side of the room slammed open showing the woman in mention.

“Good evening, Levi’s Squad,” She said in her usual chirpy manner.

“Her”

“Squad Leader Hange,” Said the green-eyed boy as the woman in question took a seat where [Name] used to be sitting before slipping out of the room with the entrance of the eccentric woman; a wise choice if Petra was being honest.

She smiled "At the present, I am in charge of researching a couple of Titans we captured alive in the city," She said excitedly as she finally sat down and stared at Eren "And I'd like to ask you to assist me in my tomorrow's experiment, Eren" The boy looked rather puzzled at the woman.

"Experiment?" He questioned hesitantly as Hange nodded "But I can't see what I can--"

"Oh, you so can" She interrupted as she flushed "you can be super zealous for started!" The green-eyed boy stared a questioning look at the woman and glanced sideways.

"Um, well, you see," He started, awkwardly shifting in his seat "I'm not exactly free to decide what I can do and what I can not do, so," He left the sentence in the air. The woman, getting hang of the insinuation snapped her head to the Corporal.

"Levi?" the man merely nodded in acknowledgment "What plans do you have regarding Eren for tomorrow?" She asked. The man eyed her before answering;

"Cleaning of the yard" He stated.

Hange was quick to react, as she grabbed Eren's hand and shook it as if they were partners. Petra was already pitying the boy, as she smiled softly.

"Alright! It is all settled then!" She said, louder than intended, causing the brunette to flinch at her loud voice "See you tomorrow, Eren"

Eren watched confuse as the woman almost shook his arm off "Ah, ok" He replied quickly until he asked a question Petra knew he would soon regret "I would like to ask you, though," He said, "What is that experiment you're talking about?"

The rest of the table flinched already knowing what was about to happen. Oruo elbowed Eren in his arm and the rest took that as their cue to leave. They silently stood up from their seats and made their way out of the dining room. The voices of both people left drowning as they walked off to their respective chambers.

* * *

After hearing the story of how had Hange tried to communicate with the Titans and many other of her research discoveries, Eren was beaten He had been seated in the same place for hours, far too embarrassed to say anything about it. After that long of talking, the Squad Leader still had things to say and experiments to explain.

Eren sighed thinking about how long of a night this would be if it continued this way and rested his head on his fist as to try and keep himself awake to keep listening to the woman and her babbling about her discoveries.

It seemed like centuries before the doors of the dining hall slammed open, startling Eren, as Hange, unfazed, turned her head to see and smiled.

"Hey, [Name]!" She saluted excitedly, and indeed, it was the young cadet who was leaning against the door frame as she watched the pair that was still seating at the table "Didn't see you earlier where were you?" She asked, but got completely ignored.

The girl made her way to Eren and yanked the boy out of his seat, nodding at him to follow her. He, much to Hange's dismay followed suit as they were making their way out of the room. 

Of course, Hange would not let them without a fight "Leaving already? Where are you taking him?" She asked desperately as she stood from her chair, hands slamming against the table. She got shrug as a reply;

"Dungeon," Said the younger female curtly and Eren faltered in his step for a bit before continuing following the girl around the halls, as Hange's protests were wisely ignored

They both walked in silence as they made their way to the dungeon, the green-eyed boy thinking about the comrade walking in front of him. He thought about her actions earlier, defending him from Oruo not once for twice, saving him from Hange's rants and, even if he was not sure at all, convincing the Captain that he should sleep in a room; he was quite grateful even as she was still taking him to the dungeon. It took a second to realize she actually wasn't as they skipped the hall that took them there. He stared at the back of the cadet curiously, before she opened the door to a room and waiting expectantly for Eren to enter.

Once inside, he noticed the room had to beds on opposite sides. He also noticed two trunks in front of them. He walked to one of those and watched his items of clothing and other stuff packed neatly into it and stared at the girl in surprise, though he quickly turned his gaze around to the wall once he noticed she started stripping. He stood crouched in front of the trunk awkwardly for a while before he heard a plop on the other bed.

Cautiously, he turned his gaze to see the cadet fully dressed in her sleepwear and he let out a sigh of relieve. He stood up and walked to the bed he assumed was his since the girl had already taken the other one, and sat down. He fidgeted with his hands before looking up at [Name] who had her eyes narrowed at him.

He asked; "Are you not going to send me to the dungeon?" 

"Dungeon?" She asked feigning ignorance with her usual bored face, and Eren nodded, not being able to stare at her [e/c] eyes, as she registered him.

"Yeah," He said sheepishly and a tensing silence settled in the room. To say Eren started to feel awkward was an understatement. He played with his fingers as he waited for an answer. He wondered if she had actually intended to take him there from the beginning.

"Want to sleep there?" She asked abruptly, startling Eren and he nodded in denial, the girl sighed; "Then, no" She said simply, her voice softening as so her features, something the boy seemed quite surprised at. He then realized that, in fact, it had been her who had convinced the Captain to let him sleep in a room and he felt guilt weighing over his chest.

"Why are you helping me?" The girl looked puzzled at the boy "I thought you hated me" 

She blinked surprised at the words he just spilled. Eren for a moment thought of apologizing for being ungrateful, but he was interrupted by her;

"I don't hate you," She said, quite hurt by the fact. Eren gulped as he felt his throat tightening "I'm sorry if I made you think that way. I've always thought pain is the best teaching method," She explained, as the boy shivered, faintly seeing a resemblance between her and some other he could not remember at the time "and I realize my actions had hurt you, and Kirschtein, and probably Bozado, though I do not regret any of what I meant, I do regret causing damage, and I sincerely apologize"

Eren's jaw dropped as he heard the girl speak so earnestly and actually apologize. He admitted that maybe she was more violent than she should have been, but she was not in the wrong, in the end, she actually wanted to advise them, and for the longshot stop their bickering.

He realized that her actions were trying to be helpful instead of harmful.

He felt himself drown in guilt. Last time he had directly spoken to his comrade was to call her out for being a coward; something Eren regretted afterward, but did not apologize for since she had snapped too and made the boy angry again, though he knew what he said was uncalled for since he could no actually know how she acted during Trost being as they were not together at all.

"I am sorry, too" He said, finally being able to speak as he accommodated his thoughts "you've been so helpful to me, and I apologize for being rude to you after court and not appreciating you as a cadet or a comrade" He looked at the [h/c] haired girl stared, a gleam in her eyes, and he continued "I apologize too" He muttered, his pride getting the worst of him.

He sheepishly looked away as he was not able to convey his gratefulness completely in his apology; still, it did not seem to bother the girl, as she softly smiled, almost unnoticeable;

"It's okay, Jäger"

Eren felt comfortable suddenly, realizing he has been forgiven and everything had been cleared; though a question still rounded through his mind; "Do you think I am a monster?" He finally asked, gaining a sharp look from the person he questioned.

"I do," She said, and Eren tried to hide the pang of hurt he felt. He was not surprised by that answer, but rather by what the girl had to say next "That does not have to be something bad" The boy looking confused, tilted his head as [Name] continued "A monster is something unrealistic, typically tall, ugly and frightening" She paused as she waited for Eren to catch up. The boy nodded in consent and she grunted before continuing "Even if you had proven to be real, a Titan is certainly a description of a monster; it's difficult to think of a Titan as good-looking, and of course they would be frightening, they've been hunting us for who-know how many years, of course, people would be scared, we can not blame them" She said, a glimpse of sadness in her features as she talked, she smiled sadly "Humans are selfish and only look for their own well being, it's disgusting" She grimaced and Eren wondered where did such a hatred come from "Even if you're trying to help they will believe whatever they want to believe, Jäger, you can't be affected by their words of selfishness; but you are a monster, that is fact" She paused thinking her next words clearly "Jäger, that word just describes your physique, on the inside, you're as much as a soldier as Arlert and Ackerman" 

Eren felt his heart crunch in relief. He had needed for someone to tell him he was not a monster, someone to try and have sympathy for him; even if his friends tried to comfort him, it was hard to believe, but for some reason, when [Name] voiced it that way, it didn't sound as bad, he could believe her. Maybe it was because they knew next to nothing about each other, therefore she had no reasons to entrust her life to the brunette, yet she did. The green-eyed smiled; her words were so understanding.

Almost as if she was in the same situation.

"Jäger," She called out Eren out of his trance "What are you?" she leaned forward expectantly as she waited for an answer. It took a while since the brunette was taken aback by such a question, but once he got a grasp of it, he confidently responded, along with a soldier salute;

"I am Eren Jäger, graduate of the 104th trainee squad" He did not hesitate his next words "I am in fact a monster, but I am also a Soldier, and I am willing to risk my life for humanity's sake"

The room was quiet for a while, as his blood boiled hot through his veins. There was something inside of him that fired up, he could not quite tell what. [Name] finally nodded in approval and sent a smirk his way.

"Good" She then stood up and grabbed her sheets before hiding under them, her back facing the Titan-shifter, saying no other word.

Eren stood seated in his bed for a while more as he stared at the girl's back. He shook his head as he stood up and quickly took advantage of her facing the wall to slip out of his uniform and into his sleepwear. He had a hard while with the straps, but once that was done, he easily could do the rest. He grabbed the covers and buried himself beneath them as he stared at the ceiling, star-eyed.

"Hey, [Name]" He called as he turned on his side to face the girl's back "Why do you hate people?" He voiced out his doubt and waited for a reply. It seemed hopeless to ask since she was seemingly already asleep. He was about to turn around when the girl did it first and stared at the boy who had just questioned her.

It was silent, something Eren found common while conversing with his comrade. He waiting patiently for an answer, not really hoping to get one, at least not tonight. They had just entered into good-terms with each other so trust would not be so easy to gain, even if he already knew he could trust the female cadet with his life.

"I've-" The way her voice wavered ignited a warning inside Eren, he looked as she tried to hold herself together, before continuing, stoic features "I've seen how people really are" She said, even in her expressionless stance, her eyes gleamed with anger and sadness "I've seen the worst of them, the real them; There's just been one person my whole life I could totally trust. The only person I know will be there for me" All her negative emotions dissipated as a smile played on the corner of her mouth, Eren stared in wonder "That person was the first to ever give me a chance and I may be forever grateful" She then looked the brunette dead in the eye "For some reason, he also knows the wrath of the human-kind" As the boy still looked puzzled she hesitated before finally giving up and confessing; "I lived on the underground as a child until I was saved by a stranger"

"I'm sorry" Was all Eren could mutter, embarrassed he had been trusted with such a look at her past.

"Past is the past" She shrugged him off as she waved her hand in the air. She watched as Eren was still uncomfortable for what he was entrusted "I trust you, Jäger" She said, caught the boy in question in surprise "I trust you enough to tell you my beginnings; I do not expect you for you to trust equally, I just thought it would be a great chance to get it off my chest" 

Even so, Eren felt in debt with her "Mikasa and I killed three men" He babbled and expected something out of her; Disgust, fear, judgment, something, but instead, he got a curious look and sympathy once again. Something in his heart crunched in an unknown feeling "My dad used to be a medic, he'd been attending the Ackermans for a while" He frowned at the memory "There was this one day I went with him to their house and the door opened to show Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman dead on the floor" He could still clearly savour the smell of blood and see the bodies laying dead "My dad told me to go look for Mikasa and that's what I did, when I found her, there were three men who tried to hurt her, and somehow, I-- We--"

He quickly got cut off "It's okay, Jäger," She said softly "If you want, tell me some other time, I'll listen" The boy nodded as his heart quickened with the same adrenaline he had felt that day and the image of young looking Mikasa completely defenseless.

Finally, he dared to ask one last question; "[Name]," He stared deep into her [e/c] pools "Are we friends?"

There was a pause before she smiled "Sure, Eren" The boy skipped a beat, this being the first time she directed him by his name. He sighed in approval as she watched the girl close her eyes slowly. 

He stared at her unashamedly as her breathing eventually became soft and even and how her face fell into serenity, which was contagious as he could feel peace within him. Finally, after a long while of staring at his comrade sleeping, sleep came crawling into him sending the boy into a deep slumber.

His sleep was interrupted though when someone started shaking him roughly, making him open his eyes into confusion as they tried to focus on the person un front. He watched the figure stop its way to the door, opening it being as someone was banging hard on it. Another figure came into the picture and due to the muffled voiced he knew they were talking. He finally sat at the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes, finally identifying the silhouettes as the Captain and [Name].

"What's going on?" He finally questioned receiving a sharp glare from the Corporal and a worried glance from the female.

"Hurry up" Muttered Levi as he stomped his way out of the room and into the hall. 

Eren quickly got up and opened his trunk getting his uniform and cloak out. He stripped out of his sleepwear, forgetting the presence of his comrade, and quickly slipped into his uniform. He had a hard while to put on the straps but once that was thoroughly done he finished quickly and turned around to face the other cadet. He flushed from neck to ear and he would've apologized if she hadn't looked so unfazed.

He nodded once he put on his cloak and followed the girl out of the room as they walked silently through the halls "What's going on?" He asked for a second time.

"Test subjects?" She said, and Eren nodded, remembering Hange talk about them all evening "Dead" She said flatly and Eren stared agape as they continued making their way through the castle. He could only imagine the fit Hange was throwing at the moment and he felt anger boil within him.

Once they finally made it outside, they were all waiting for them to leave, so they left, making their way to Hange's investigation headquarters. As they got there they noticed many members of the military around the scene unfolding.

"You got to be kidding me," One of the members of the garrison muttered, voice wavering "Was this a soldier's doing?" He questioned.

"The culprit is still unknown at this point." Another cadet added "Just before dawn, the two Titans were slaughtered at the same time, it seems. When the guards noticed what was going on, the culprits were already far away with the help of the 3D Maneuvering Gear" Eren stood on his tiptoes as to watch Squad Leader Hange losing her reasoning. He felt bad for her, as he knew her investigations were a big deal, not only for her but for humanity.

"A premeditated plan by two or more people, huh?"

"Look at the leader, she's going mental-- Oi!" The cadet said as he rubbed his shin. Eren looked around to see [Name] taking a stand on the sidelines innocently and he smirked. It was quickly erased as he listened to the rest of the muttering.

"They were out valuable specimens. Just what kind of idiot could do this?" A man asked in disbelief.

"And if it wasn't an idiot, then who? I can't even guess"

"Let's go," Levi spoke up, startling the brunette who was still trying to catch whatever piece of information he could get from the people that surrounded them. "The Military Police will deal with the rest" Eren nodded as he followed Levi out of the scene.

"Eren"

The boy in question looked up "Commander?" He asked once he got a look of the blond man standing in front of him "What's going on?" He asked for a third time that day. Instead of answering, he stood behind the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders, as he stared, a conspirational look in his face, at the scene in front of them both. He replied with a question of himself;

"What does it look to you?" He ignored the tanned boy's puzzled expression as he continued talking "Who is the enemy, in your opinion?" The boy stared bewildered for such a question and felt Levi's gaze fell upon them.

"Huh?"

After a while, the Commander finally set Eren free from his hold and sighed; "Sorry for asking you strange questions" He patted the boy on the shoulder and turned him on his heels to leave. "[Name]" He nodded as he passed through the girl. He got a nod of acknowledgment and ruffled her hair affectionately until he took notice of Eren's and the Corporal's glares. He let his hand fall to his side and finally made his way off, disappearing in between the mass of soldiers.

Many questions were swarming through the brunette's mind, but there was only one that was constant and kept haunting him until late at night.

_Who are the traitors?_

 

 


End file.
